Heath Ledger

When I saw Heath Ledger's picture on TV I assumed it was some promotional thing for Batman. Like everyone else, I was shocked to hear he died--and at 28, younger than I'd have guessed.

When Brad Renfro died last week at 25, it was certainly a surprise, though he was known to be troubled. But Heath Ledger was a much bigger star still at the height of his celebrity, and while he had split from his wife last year, there hadn't been reports of major inner turmoil. (As I write this, no one is sure why he died.)

I'd generally liked Ledger, even if I didn't like most of the films he was in. He had an interesting career, with both big Hollywood movies and smaller fare.

He first came to notice in 10 Things I Hate About You. It wasn't bad for a teen film, but Ledger wanted to be more than this year's beefcake for screaming girls. He next played supporting roles in The Patriot (a big Mel Gibson production) and Monster's Ball (a smaller, Oscar winning film) that moved him forward, if not necessarily upward.

Then he played romantic leads in films that didn't quite work, such as the weird rock and roll jousting movie A Knight's Tale, and a poorly done remake of The Four Feathers. He did better with highly varied work in such films as Ned Kelly and Lords Of Dogtown, even if they weren't big hits.

Then came the breakthrough--a highly respected movie that was also a big hit, Brokeback Mountain. The gay cowboy film became part of the zeitgeist, and Ledger's role, the soft-spoken Ennis Del Mar, held it it all together. He finally got to show what he could do, and was nominated for every award there was, including the Oscar.

The film was beautifully shot and had some memorable scenes, but I had trouble with the central conflict. I thought it was all external--the men's love was perfect and the only problem was society disapproved. But the performances, especially Ledger's, were well-observed. And while everyone noted the stuff between the cowboys, I was more impressed with the scenes of Ennis and his family.

In the few films he had left, nothing topped Brokeback. He got good notices as a drug-addicted poet in Candy and as a Dylanesque celebrtiy in I'm Not There, but these films didn't get nearly the same attention.

There'd been a lot of buzz about his last completed role, the psychopathic Joker in this summer's The Dark Knight. Fans have been awaiting the release of this sequel, especially to see how Ledger would handle Batman's greatest villain. No one knows how it'll play now.