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Heath Ledger

Summary

Born April 4, 1979 in Perth, Australia, Heath Ledger found acting success stateside in the 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You before landing the lead role in the short-lived cult TV series Roar and the role of Mel Gibson's eldest son in The Patriot.

With the exception of a small role in 2001's acclaimed Monster's Ball, Ledger subsequently starred in a string of box office disappointments: A Knight's Tale, The Four Feathers, Ned Kelly, The Order, The Brothers Grimm and The Lords of Dogtown before his fortunes turned around with 2005's Brokeback Mountain. Ledger earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor for his performance as repressed homosexual cowboy Ennis Del Mar.

While Ledger has not turned his back on his indie roots -- appearing in Candy and the experimental Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There -- he landed his most high profile Hollywood role to date after he was cast as The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight.

He has a daughter with his Brokeback Mountain co-star Michelle Williams.

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Every Joker First Look Photo

There have been four big screen live-action incarnations of the Joker in the last three decades, and each first look has provoked a different response.