The late Australian actor Heath Ledger's portrayal of Batman's evil genius psychopath arch-nemesis the Joker in The Dark Knight, who shot to fame in the Ang Lee-directed 2006 hit movie Brokeback Mountain, has won the 'Best Supporting Actor' award at the 2009 Oscars Awards on Sunday night. The win makes Ledger the second actor to win posthumously, which came exactly 13 months after his death from an accidental overdose of drug prescription. His Oscar was accepted by his parents and sister on behalf of the actor's three-year-old daughter, Matilda. "I have to say this is ever so humbling, just being amongst such wonderful people in such a wonderful industry," said his father, Kim
Ledger. "We'd like to thank the academy for recognising our son's amazing work, Warner Bros., and Christopher Nolan in particular for allowing Heath the creative license to develop and explore this crazy Joker character." Since his death, the 28-year-old Ledger has gained a mythic aura akin to James Dean, another rising star who died well before his time. The Joker was his final completed role, a casting that initially drew scorn from fans who thought Ledger would not be up to the task given Jack Nicholson's gleefully campy rendition of the character in 1989's Batman. In the months before Ledger's death, buzz on his wickedly chaotic performance swelled as marketing for the movie centered on the Joker and the perverted clown make-up he hid behind. Ledger's death fanned a frenzy of anticipation for the movie, which had a record US$158.4 million opening weekend last summer. Ledger has also won a Golden Globe for the same category 3 months ago.
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