Few screen villains have left such an indelible mark on the imagination of cinema-goers as Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. For many, Ledger embodied the iconic Batman arch-nemesis better than anyone could have hoped, delivering a committed performance which easily outstripped the wildly over-the-top rendition by Jack Nicholson decades before. In many ways it was a role which defined 2008 not least because by the time The Dark Knight was released, Ledger had already been dead for six months. The actor was all too aware of the iconic stature of The Joker and went to great lengths to prepare for the role, locking himself in a hotel room where he wrote a diary and experimented with voices for the part. Ledger said of the process, "I ended up in the realm of the psychopath someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts." His intense portrayal and posthumous Oscar award for Best Supporting Actor often overshadows a track record of outstanding, critically acclaimed performances, including the award-winning role as gay ranch hand Ennis Del Mar opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain and one of six portrayals of Bob Dylan in Todd Hayne's I'm Not There. Heath Ledger was just 28 when he was found unresponsive in his New York home in January 2008. Many people, including his father Kim Ledger, believe that while the official cause of death was an accidental overdose of prescription medication, his dedication to the darker aspects of The Joker was so intense that ultimately it cost his life. With the recent death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger has once again hit the headlines, with his father attacking reports that Seymour Hoffman had counselled his son over drug abuse, describing the reports as "a complete and disrespectful fabrication of circumstances surrounding any relationship Heath and Philip Seymour Hoffman may have had." Perhaps one thing that will never die is salacious tabloid gossip surrounding the deaths of Hollywood actors, something which appears to be as old as the industry itself. But while rumours, hoaxes and gossip eventually fade away, the performances remain, forever ingrained in movie history and the memories of millions of fans.
