Happy Birthday Heath Ledger: 10 Facts We Love About You

When asked if he had any fears about playing a gay man in Brokeback Mountain, Heath Ledger replied that he was not afraid of the role, only that he wasn’t mature enough to do it justice.

During filming of A Knight’s Tale he knocked out one of director Brian Helgeland’s front teeth with a broomstick when the two were demonstrating a jousting move. It was the only jousting injury during filming.

For his iconic final role in The Dark Knight Ledger designed the Joker’s make-up himself, using white clown makeup and cosmetics from a drugstore, reasoning that since the Joker would apply his own make-up, he should too. Once his design was approved, the makeup team replicated the look each day for filming.

In preparation for the role, Ledger secluded himself in a motel room for six weeks, delving deep into the psychology of the character. His interpretation of The Joker’s appearance was based on the chaotic, disheveled look of Sex Pistols punk rocker Sid Vicious combined with the psychotic mannerisms of Malcolm McDowell’s character, Alex De Large, from A Clockwork Orange.

At school he led a team of 60 all-male dancers — farmers sons at a military school — to an unprecedented nationwide high-school competition, dancing through the different aspects of fashion. They were the first all-boy school to win.

His first starring role was in a school production of Peter Pan, age 10.

He fell in love with on-screen wife Michelle Williams on the first day of shooting Brokeback, when she fell tobogganing and twisted her knee so badly she was on crutches for the rest of the shoot: “I always had to look after her after that.”

He became only the second person to win a posthumous acting Oscar, after fellow Australian Peter Finch, who won for Network - his family are seen above, accepting the award.

He and his older sister, Kate, are named after Catherine and Heathcliff, the two main romantic characters of the Emily Brontë novel, Wuthering Heights.

His first starring role was in 10 Things I Hate About You, where he beat Ashton Kutcher and Josh Hartnett for the role of Patrick.