Why do we love 'The Joker'

In 'The Dark Knight', Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, his family accepting it on his behalf, as well as numerous other posthumous awards including the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, which Christopher Nolan accepted for him.

One of the greatest tragedies to strike previously was the death of Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in The Dark Knight. The actor was found dead in his Manhattan apartment in January 2008.

Ledger aka 'Joker' had aspirations to become a film director and had made some music videos, which director Todd Haynes praised highly in his tribute to Ledger.

As the news of Ledger's death became public, throughout the night of 22 January 2008, and the next day, media crews, mourners, fans, and other onlookers began gathering outside his apartment building, with some leaving flowers or other memorial tributes.

Ledger received numerous awards for his Joker role in The Dark Knight. On 10 November 2008, he was nominated for two People's Choice Awards related to his work on the film, Best Ensemble Cast and Best Onscreen Match Up (shared with Christian Bale), and Ledger won an award for Match Up in the ceremony aired live on CBS in January 2009.

After Heath Ledger died, controversy surrounding 2008 s The Dark Knight led to an onslaught of publicity, as well as a posthumous Oscar win for Ledger and the title, according to millions of fanboys across the world, as the greatest comic book movie film ever. Sure, credit is due to Nolan, but it was Ledger's virtuoso performance that made the film.

Heath Ledger left behind his beautiful daughter, Matilda Rose, a legion of fans and a growing film legacy that includes a most remarkable performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight, a role for which he posthumously earned both Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actor.

In his penultimate film performance, Ledger played the Joker in The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, first released, in Australia, on 16 July 2008.