Heath: a Family’s Tale

By Janet Fife-Yeomans

This is a beautifully written biography recounting Heath Ledger’s slow rise to fame and fortune as an Australian born actor. The Joker in the film the ‘Dark night’ is Heath’s most memorable performance, closely followed by his performance as Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain. Heath himself did not get to see the finished film ‘The Dark Knight’ because he accidentally overdosed on prescription drugs before it premiered. 

Heath was a very private individual who wanted to act. He shunned publicity, and interviews if he could, never coming across well with journalists and paparazzi. 

Heath met fellow actor Michelle Williams on the set of Brokeback Mountain. They had a daughter whilst in their early twenties. He was heartbroken when he and Michelle split up. 

Heath left home at seventeen to fulfil his dream of being an actor. Heath never chose to go for the blockbuster scripts, which would have no doubt type-cast him. He preferred scripts where there was a depth of character for him to immerse himself in. He looked to step out of his comfort zone.

He was a man who excelled at anything he did, from chess, kart racing, photography to DIY. 

This book, using Heath’s favourite colour orange to good visual effect, is worth picking up. Providing an insight into a sensitive soul, an overall nice young man, who may have gone on to greater things had his short life not burned out before he was thirty.