BEFORE Heath Ledger picked up an Academy Award for his portrayal of the joker in The Dark Knight, winning after he had passed away. BEFORE Heath Ledger would star in Brokeback Mountain, A Knights Tale, 10 Things I Hate About You. BEFORE Heath Ledger would father a child Matilda with his girlfriend and co-star Michelle Williams. BEFORE died of an accidental prescription drug overdose that included pain-killers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication in 2008. Heath had revealed to The New York Times that he had been taking Ambien which treats short term insomnia, following the production of ‘I’m Not There’ & ‘The Dark Knight’. He spoke of his character the joker as a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” and the role and work schedule had played a toll on his mind. In his personal life, Heath or Heathcliff was painfully shy. His hobbies included surfing, poetry, chess, photography, and directing mainly solo forms of art with a high level on concentration. At a young age he turned down a career as a field hockey player to pursue a career as a performer and traveled from Perth to Sydney with no formal training and nothing but .69 cents in his pocket