Heath Ledger won the Best Supporting-actor Academy Award for his warped take on Batman villain the Joker in ‘The Dark Knight.’ See photos and video and read more below.
Ledger’s Academy Award win comes 13 months after his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs on Oscar nominations day last year. His Oscar was accepted by his parents and sister.
“I have to say this is ever so humbling, just being amongst such wonderful people in such a wonderful industry,” said his father, Kim Ledger. “We’d like to thank the academy for recognizing our son’s amazing work, Warner Bros., and Christopher Nolan in particular for allowing Heath the creative license to develop and explore this crazy Joker character.”
The Joker was his Ledger’s final role. His casting choice initially drew scorn from fans who thought Ledger wouldn’t be able to do the role justice due to Jack Nicholson’s performance of the character in 1989’s “Batman.”
In the months before Ledger’s death, buzz on his demented performance spread everywhere. Ledger’s death only made anticipation for ‘The Dark Knight’ increase, which had a record $158.4 million opening weekend last summer. Ledger is only the second actor to win an Oscar after his death. In 1976, Peter Finch won best-actor for his performance in ‘Network.’
Photos: Wenn.com