Heath Ledger was born in Perth, Australia, in April 1979, the son of a French teacher and a race car driver. Sixteen years later, he sat for his high school exams early so he could pursue an acting career in Sydney. (Carlo Allegri / Getty Images)
Ledgers next film after Brokeback Mountain was the Lasse Hallstrom-directed Casanova (2005), which received mixed reviews. In 2006, he made Candy, in which he played a heroin addict. He also played a movie-star version of Bob Dylan in 2007s Im Not There. (Carlo Allegri / Getty Images)
What was supposed to be next
Ledger was working on Terry Gilliams fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which was scheduled for a 2009 release. Filming began in London in December. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
Tragic end
Ledger was found dead Jan. 22, 2008, in New York at age 28. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
