Heath Ledger's life may have been cut tragically short but in his brief career he managed to achieve so much.A young Heath Ledger began his acting career in television in his native Australia where, at the tender age of sixteen, played the controversial role of a gay cyclist in Sweat.This role highlighted Ledger's desire to be an actor and not a star willing to try his hand at more edgy roles not content or comfortable with the 'pretty boy' label he would later be given.H went on to star in several Australian movies, most notably Two Hands.His performance brought him to the attention of fellow Aussie Mel Gibson who went on to cast him as his son in war film The Patriot, his Hollywood career has begun.Over the next couple of years Ledger moved between the edgier roles that he seems to relish appearing in Monster's Ball with Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton to the more commercial pictures like A Knight's Tale and 10 Things I Hate About You.
His ability to easily move between the two earnt him a legion of fans: general cinema go-er who had seen him in the likes of A Knight's Tale and The Brothers Grimm as well as gaining cult status from the fans of his independent movie projects.
But it is his role in Ang Lee's controversial, but highly successful, Brokeback Mountain that propelled the young actor on to the world stage.
He played Ennis Del Mar, a Wyoming rancher who has a love affair with aspiring rodeo rider Jack Twist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.
His performance earnt him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 2005 as well as Brokeback Mountain being included in the Best Picture category.
It was on the set of Brokeback Mountain where he met former fiancee Michelle Williams, who played his wife.
The couple went on to have a child, daughter Matilda Rose who was born October 28, 2005. But in 2007 the couple split citing their busy work schedules as the reason.
Despite problems in his personal life his career was going from strength to strength as he starred recently in I'm Not There as one of six actors to portray music icon Bob Dylan.
This summer Ledger will star alongside Christian Bale and Michael Caine in The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins, as the Joker.
The actor described his character as 'psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.' And despite being an unexpected choice for the role The Dark Knight has become one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2008.
The film is currently scheduled for a July release.
Before his death the actor was in London working on Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and it was expected to be released in 2009.
Whatever problems Heath Ledger may have been facing behind closed doors in front of the movie cameras he was the consummate professional who, in such a brief career, brought so many great performances to the big screen.
No matter what the circumstances may be surrounding his death the movie industry has been robbed of a true and natural talent who, without a doubt, would have received an Academy Award and had a long and illustrious career.
But due to these sad events this young man will not be able to fulfil the potential that everyone saw in him and reach the heights of Marlon Brando to whom he was so often compared and what so many expected for him.
Heath Ledger: 1979-2008.
Femalefirst Helen Earnshaw