Focus Features

Heath Ledger

Ennis Del Mar

Heath Ledger was born and raised in Perth, Australia.

At the age of 10, he enrolled in the local theater company. While performing on stage, he also began landing roles on such Australian television series as Clowning Around, Bush Patrol, Corrigan, Ship to Shore, and Home and Away.

In 1997, Mr. Ledger starred in an American television series, Roar, which was filmed in Queensland, Australia. The series landed him an American talent agent, and he decided to make his move to America.

He returned to Australia to star in Gregor Jordan's award-winning feature Two Hands. Back in America, starring roles in four major films soon followed: the popular comedy 10 Things I Hate About You (opposite Julia Stiles for director Gil Junger); Roland Emmerich's blockbuster The Patriot (alongside Mel Gibson); Brian Helgeland's hit A Knight's Tale; and the Academy Award-winning Monster's Ball (with Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry for director Marc Forster).

Mr. Ledger's subsequent films include Shekhar Kapur's The Four Feathers, Brian Helgeland's The Order, Gregor Jordan's Ned Kelly, Catherine Hardwicke's Lords of Dogtown, and Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm.

He next stars in Lasse Hallström's Casanova, as the legendary title character. Mr. Ledger also recently returned to Australia to make a new independent feature, Neil Armfield's Candy (with Abbie Cornish and Geoffrey Rush).