Heath Ledger: His Beautiful Life and Mysterious Death by John McShane
Young, cocksure, handsome and absurdly talented, Australian actor Heath Ledger shot to prominence with his first Hollywood film "10 Things I Hate About You": and a star was born. With huge charisma and smouldering looks lighting up the screen in a series of subsequent films, Heath was soon established as Hollywood A-list, dating a series of beauties such as Heather Graham and Naomi Watts, and living every young man's dream.
But it was his award-winning and controversial role as Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain" that cemented his place in the pantheon of acting greats - he was one of the youngest people ever to be nominated for an Oscar. And it was on the set of this film that he fell in love with his co-star Michelle Williams. Though the relationship wasn't to last, the couple had a daughter in 2005.
With the world at his feet and a film-stealing turn in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, in the can, there was worldwide shock and disbelief when the news broke that he had been found dead in his New York apartment on 22 January 2008. Prescription drugs, found next to his dead body, were thought to be the cause, but mystery surrounded the circumstances.
Was it an accidental death? Or were the pressures of life in the spotlight too great to bear?
What is certain is that this young man, who touched the lives of so many people, leaves behind a grief-stricken public and family, including a two-year-old daughter. This is the tragic story of the brilliant actor whose light shone so brightly but all too briefly upon the world.
Format: Paperback | 288 pages
Dimensions (cm): 19.7 x 12.9 x 1.8 | 230g
Publication Date: 01 Apr 2008
Publisher: John Blake Publishing
Publication City/Country: London, United Kingdom
Language: English
Illustrations note: illustrations
ISBN10: 1844546330
ISBN13: 9781844546336
Condition: Acceptable
A book with obvious wear. Has some damage to the cover, including a fair amount of creasing and scuff marks, but integrity still intact. No writing in margins, no underlining and highlighting of text, and no missing pages or anything that would compromise the legibility or understanding of the text. There is a fair amount of creasing throughout the book, and page 7/8 has a large tear in it. Still a clean, and readable copy.