Heath Ledger wins Oscar

[Game Breaker]

Heath Ledger wins Oscar for The Joker

February 23, 2009 - 3:46PM

Late Australian actor Heath Ledger has won the Oscar for best supporting actor at the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood.

The best actor award went to Sean Penn for Milk.

And the best actress award went to Kate Winslet for her haunting performance in The Reader as a former Nazi death camp guard who starts a love affair with a teenage boy in post-war Germany who is later put on trial for war crimes.

Penelope Cruz won best supporting actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Ledger, nominated in the best supporting actor category for his performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight, was favourite to win.



Ledger died 13 months ago from an accidental prescription drug overdose aged 28.

He is only the second actor to win an Oscar posthumously. Peter Finch, also an Australian, was the first when he was named winner of the best actor for Network in 1977, just three months after dying from a heart attack.

Heath's father, Kim Ledger, and mother, Sally Bell, and sister Kate accepted the award.

"This award tonight would have humbly validated Heath's quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here - his peers - within an industry he so loved. Thank you,'' Kim Ledger said.

Ledger was up against Josh Brolin (Milk) Robert Downey jnr (Tropic Thunder) Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road).

Earlier, two other Australians, costume designer Catherine Martin for Australia and art director Michael Carlin for The Duchess, missed out on Oscars.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/cruz-wins-oscar-for-vicky/2009/02/23/1235237517380.html

http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=46376

 

[K E]

Good on him. Well deserved.

Truthfully speaking, I never liked Ledger as an actor but he NAILED The Joker role.

 

[mofo sixx]

Good on him. Well deserved.

Truthfully speaking, I never liked Ledger as an actor but he NAILED The Joker role.

agreed

 

[-Kurry-]

he was so convincing in the joker role, i got shivers and freaked out at some of his acting.


Freaky, but awesome.

 

[Bob dog]

Who can forget his role in 'Patriot'? The guy excelled himself and was probably better than he relized, you have to wonder when these young ledgends die as to what they may of ended up like?

 

[will.i.am]

Good on Heath. Put in a heck of a performance and deserved to win the gong.

 

[Hansta]

Heath Ledger is James Dean all over again. Both awesome actors who had the talent to be one of the best but both tragically died way too young to realise what they could have become

 

[bLaQDoG..]

WTF is that rags to riches film?? How did it win 8 oscars??

The Dark Knight should have picked all those up easily.

PS. I miss Heath

 

[Shanked]

was never in doubt, if we weren't told he was playing the joker i would never had guessed it was him. whats happening with the film he was in the middle of before he died?

 

[Lord Almighty]

WTF is that rags to riches film?? How did it win 8 oscars??

The Dark Knight should have picked all those up easily.

PS. I miss Heath

those sorts of movies always take out a bag full of gongs

 

[mofo sixx]

Heath Ledger is James Dean all over again. Both awesome actors who had the talent to be one of the best but both tragically died way too young to realise what they could have become

i would say he is River Phoenix all over again not Jimmy Dean

 

[Your Mum]

Who won the postbabaganoush oscar?

 

[BankstownBulldog]

well done Heath, its a shame he wasnt here to accept the award.

 

[OTTO]

Great

 

[Slippery]

Yeah, cool. I really don't care

 

[MP4 - Eedz]

Thats awesome, well deserved indeed

 

[smarty]

WTF is that rags to riches film?? How did it win 8 oscars??

have you even seen the movie??

 

[-alex-]

WTF is that rags to riches film?? How did it win 8 oscars??

The Dark Knight should have picked all those up easily.

PS. I miss Heath

Slumdog Millionare was a brilliant movie Rami! I heard today that it came very close to being a straight-to-dvd release, I bet they are over the moon that they ended up releasing it into cinemas lol.

Over the moon about Ledgers win though. He was one of my favorite actors for years <3

 

[kennyy]

Those indians were cheering

 

[smingers]

Man he lived and breathed that character as the Joker...hence, what lead to his insanity and his sudden death. It's so sad for someone so dedicated to acting and living their lives as a character- which mind you is extremely difficult to do, to pass away so young.