Tough one this, for many reasons. Heath Ledger was one of the most exciting, talented young actors in the world until January 22nd, 2008 - when he died in his hotel room at the age of 28 as a result of overdosing on prescription medications. His most prominent role, and the one he will undoubtedly be remembered for, is that of The Joker in Christopher Nolan's second installation of the Batman trilogy. While this was the performance that earned him a posthumous Academy Award, I can't help but think that Ledger's portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain was the greatest acting feat of his life. Being the straight man that Ledger was, playing the part of a closeted bisexual can't have been easy. One of the few primal instincts us human beings have left is our sexual identity, and going against that is incredibly difficult - take it from someone who tried (and ultimately failed) to audition for something similar. Of course, there was more to the film than uncovering which way each character swayed (metaphorically speaking) and Ledger's committed representation of a troubled ranch-hand coming to terms with the star-crossed romance he never thought he'd feel helped Brokeback Mountain become a classic love film. Ledger once voiced his concerns about not being mature enough as an actor to do the story justice, but I'm reasonably sure nominations for an Oscar, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe are signs that he probably did pretty well at the end of the day. An excellent supporting cast consisting of the equally admirable Jake Gyllenhaal (second time I've had to type that impossible name in this article), Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams helped create a superb motion picture, which stands as an explicit example of Heath Ledger's unfaltering ability at the time.
