Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain – Credit: C/O

The Australian actor was born born April 4, 1979 and died January 22, 2008 at only 28.

In his short life he proved himself one the most dazzling Gen X film actors, starring in hits including 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot and A Knight’s Tale before earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain.

He earned a posthumous Oscar for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, released the summer after his accidental overdose death from medications.