Remembering Heath Ledger On His Birthday

Today is the late actor Heath Ledger’s birthday.

A highly respected actor taken too early, Ledger electrified audiences worldwide as The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. In a transformative role, Ledger played the Clown Prince of Crime to chilling effect. With his Academy Award-winning performance, he helped boost the Batman Begins sequel into a pop culture phenomenon with record breaking numbers and near-universal critical acclaim. He is in many circles regarded as the definitive film version of Batman’s greatest nemesis.

Sadly, Ledger never saw the fruits of his own work. Ledger tragically died from a prescription overdose in January 2008, just six months ahead of the Dark Knight’s release.

Fortunately, Ledger’s esteemed talent lives on in a number of iconic performances. Ledger also turned heads for roles in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Brokeback Mountain, The Lords of Dogtown, and A Knight’s Tale.

Born in Perth, Australia, Ledger would have turned 37 today. Happy Birthday, Heath Ledger.

Have you seen Dawn of Justice yet? If so, go rate it in the ComicBook.com Movie Database for a chance to win your very own Armored Batman figure!

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is now playing in theaters.