Heath Andrew Ledger (April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008) was an Academy Award-nominated Australian actor.

Ledger was born in Perth, Western Australia, the son of Sally Ledger Bell (née Ramshaw), a French teacher, and Kim Ledger, a race car driver and mining engineer. Ledger`s mother is descended from the Clan Campbell of Scotland and his father comes from a family well-known in Perth. The Sir Frank Ledger Charitable Trust was named after his great-grandfather.Ledger attended Marys Mount Primary School, in Gooseberry Hill, and later Guildford Grammar School and its preparatory school of the same name.

Ledger had a relationship with Naomi Watts, whom he met in 2002 during the filming of Ned Kelly. They started dating in August 2002. The couple ended their relationship in April 2004. Previously, he had dated actresses Lisa Zane and Heather Graham.

Ledger was engaged to actress Michelle Williams, whom he met on the set of Brokeback Mountain. They have a daughter, Matilda Rose, who was born on October 28, 2005. The child`s godparents are Ledger`s Brokeback costar Jake Gyllenhaal and Williams` Dawson`s Creek castmate Busy Phillips.

Ledger and his family divided their time between Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Sydney.

Ledger sold his Australian residence in Bronte, New South Wales, for A$7 million.

In August 2007, Us Weekly reported that Ledger and Williams ended their relationship because of their busy schedule. Neither Ledger nor Williams has confirmed the rumor at the time of this writing. On September 4, 2007, Williams` father, Larry, confirmed to Sydney Daily Telegraph that Ledger & Williams have indeed split.

According to the New York City Police Department, Ledger was found dead in his apartment in the SoHo neighborhood.

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