The 2005 co-star Anne Hathaway called “one of the greatest actors that has ever been”
Anne Hathaway praised Heath Ledger’s acting after watching him perform in *Brokeback Mountain*, saying a subtle choice to give his character a limp showed he was “one of the greatest actors that has ever been”. The 2005 film was a landmark for bringing a complex same-sex relationship and homophobia to mainstream audiences, and its performances helped cement Ledger’s reputation.
Ledger was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role, but lost to Philip Seymour Hoffman for *Capote*. He later won an Oscar for playing the Joker in *The Dark Knight*, but died in 2008 at the age of 28 from an accidental overdose of prescription medication.
In short
- Hathaway admired Ledger’s subtle performance in *Brokeback Mountain*.
- Ledger received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the 2005 film.
- He won an Oscar posthumously for *The Dark Knight*.
Explained simply
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 film about two men, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, who fall in love while working as shepherds in the American West. Their relationship unfolds over many years in a period when social hostility and pressure to hide being gay shaped their lives.
Heath Ledger played Ennis, while Anne Hathaway had a supporting role as his wife, Lureen. The film brought a same-sex relationship to a wide cinema audience, and Ledger’s performance was recognised with an Academy Award nomination. He later won an Oscar for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight, before dying in 2008, aged 28.