Actor Heath Ledger Dead At 28

Heath Ledger was found dead today in an apartment in the SoHo district of Manhattan. Police say he was found with pills around his body, and, at this point, they have no reason to suspect foul play. He was 28.

Ledger first gained celebrity status with his role as a jousting knight in A Knight’s Tale. Despite mixed reviews, Heath became an instant “Hollywood Hottie” - leaving many to think he was skating by on looks alone. He appeared in the Academy Award-winning Monster’s Ball, Ned Kelly, The Patriot, The Order and The Brothers Grimm before teaming up with co-star Jake Gyllenhaal to stun audiences with their much-heralded performances in the much acclaimed gay cowboy love story, Brokeback Mountain, which garnered several awards, and set Heath Ledger firmly on the acting track.

He followed that up with 2007’s I’m Not There, where he was one of 6 actors who portrayed legendary musician Bob Dylan. He also starred in Cassanova.

At the time of his death, he was already receiving excellent press about his upcoming take on classic comic book villain The Joker in the sequel to Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), which is predicted to become one of 2008’s summer blockbusters.

He was filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnaussas at the time of his death.

He is survived by 2-year-old daughter Matilda Rose and her mother, actress Michelle Williams.