One Year on: Heath Ledger Tribute

It's hard to believe that it was one year ago that Australian actor Heath Ledger passed away in tragic circumstances in New York. After receiving a posthumous Oscar nomination for The Dark Knight, we thought it was apt to take a look back at a career that was cut horribly short in its prime.

After getting the acting bug in school, Heath left school in Perth aged 16 to try his luck in TV and film. He secured bit parts in various shows until he got his big screen break in...

Heath managed to get some air time on the perennial British soap favourite back in 1997. As you can see from the picture, he was acting in exalted company alongside H&A veterans Sally Fletcher and the legendary Don Fisher.

Having impressed the powers that be with his stint on Home and Away, Heath was plucked out of the casting line-up for the big-budget Fox production. He played Conor, the orphaned heir of a tribal leader in divided Hibernia (ancient Ireland).

The rising star got the chance to flex his contemporary muscles with this comedy crime caper that saw screen time with Aussie legend Bryan Brown and future Hollywood thespian darling Rose Byrne.

Heath finally got his Stateside break with this successful adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew that saw him paired with American hottie Julia Stiles. He steamed up the screen for teens as wildly romantic Patrick Verona.

Who better to show a young Aussie the Hollywood ropes than compatriot Mel Gibson, who played Dad to Heath's son Gabriel in this big-budget American revolution spectacular. It gave him a proper chance to show his dramatic acting chops.

This film truly catapulted young Ledger into the Hollywood stratosphere as the mischievous peasant turned dashing knight. The snazzy direction and chemistry with sultry Shannyn Sossamon created a worldwide hit.

Now that he was part and parcel of the Tinseltown party scene, Heath wasted no time in hooking up with Roller Girl herself Heather Graham. The cute couple dated for several months to keep the tabloids and gossip mags in clover.

Just when everyone thought he would be going down the squeaky clean blockbuster route, Heath surprised us by choosing to star opposite P Diddy and Oscar winner Halle Berry in this intense jail drama. He earned a ton of respect as a result from the critics and fans for playing Billy Bob Thornton's troubled son.

Heath was joined by fellow rising stars Wes Bentley and Kate Hudson for this African epic, the fifth adaptation of the original novel, set in 1884. He more than held his own in the sweeping movie, despite its lack of box-office success.

Not only did Heath get to act opposite stunning compatriot Naomi Watts in this trip back Down Under for Two Hands director Gregor Jordan, but he also cosied up with her in real life too. The film was a touch disappointing, despite his charisma in the lead role.

It seemed like the perfect match with Nicole Kidman's best pal Naomi and fellow Hollywood star Heath pairing up on the set of Ned Kelly in Australia. The two kept their on-off relationship going for a couple of years before going separate ways in 2004.

Luvvie Ledger didn't make too many mistakes in his career choices, but this reteaming with Tale's director Brian Helgeland and co-star Sossamon was one.  Even Heath couldn't elevate the paranormal story of a young priest sent to Rome to investigate the death of a senior cloth wearer.

Heath was a reknowned Sk8ter Boi in real life, so this freewheeling look back at the skate scene in 1970s California was right up his street. He played Skip, the laid back owner of a skate shop who helped inspire a generation of boarders.

When you're offered the chance to work with visionary directors like Terry Gilliam, you don't turn them down. Heath played Jacob to Matt Damon's Willhelm in this underrated fantasy flick that saw both go out of their comfort zone.

After his rollercoaster ride with Naomi Watts, Heath finally found someone to settle down with in fellow thespian Michelle Williams. The Dawson's Creek actress and Ledger met on the Brokeback Mountain set. They produced a daughter Matilda Rose in 2005 before splitting for good in September 2007.

It provided uncomfortable viewing for a fair few guys, but there's no denying that Ang Lee's cowboy drama packed a powerful punch. Heath's turn as troubled Ennis Del Mar alongside lover Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist was heart wrenching and earned him a new legion of fans.

With Heath doing his best to pluck the heart strings of millions of women worldwide, it was a no-brainer to suit him up opposite Siena Miller for this comedy romp. He pulled it off and seemed to have a ball on the set into the bargain.

Ledger mixed it up yet again with this Aussie indie flick that saw him team up memorably opposite Antipodean beauty Abbie Cornish. Heath played poet Dan, who soon draws her into his world of fun and sadly heroin. When he passed away, people looked back to this film for signs of trouble.

Heath joined a role call of famous guys for this arthouse pic that mused on the life of Bob Dylan. His interpretation Robbie was very affecting and helped distinguish himself from the others like Richard Gere and superstar Christian Bale.

Bale and Ledger reteamed for Christopher Nolan's epic Bat sequel with rumours of Heath's staggering Joker interpretation doing the rounds many months before the release. Sadly, he died before it came out but his Oscar nominated performance helped propel it to mammoth box office all around the world in 2008.

Heath was busy filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus for Grimm director Gilliam when he travelled back to New York exhausted. He was found dead, aged 28, on January 22, 2008 from an accidental "toxic combination of prescription drugs."

There's no denying that, just like James Dean and River Phoenix before him, Heath's early passing was seen as a tragic loss, not only to his family, friends and fans but the acting community as a whole.

His professional approach to the art and good nature will be sorely missed by film crews around the world, while his enigmatic celluloid quality can thankfully be seen for time immemorial on screens in the range of films he made. RIP.