The young Aussie grew up in the beach town of
Perth—and his energy and charisma surfaced early.
Kate Ledger, Heath’s sister:Mom and Dad felt that
trying to change Heath as a teenager was like try-
ing to settle a wild stallion. He knew what he
wanted, and nothing was going to stop him.
Kane Manera, childhood friend:We went to an all-
boys school that was quite conservative, no girls
around. Heath would look for any opportunity to
do plays and be around girls. When we were about
16 and Heath wasn’t doing too well in math, the
teacher said, “What are you going to do with your
life?” Heath said, “I’m going to leave and become
an actor.” The teacher said, “We’ll see how that
turns out.”
Trevor DiCarlo, best friend:We felt like we had
explored everything Perth had to offer by the time
we were 17. Sydney sounded like it had much more
going on, so we couldn’t wait to get there. We were
driving in an old Mazda 626. Within the first hour
we were pulled over and given two tickets.In 1998 Ledger arrived in Hollywood, and his acting
career caught fire almost overnight.
Matt Amato, friend and film partner:He was my
roommate, and a friend had
just written10 Things I Hate
About You, and there was a
small part about a boy from
out of town. I said, “This kid
is staying here and he’s
unemployed, could he try
out?” Heath read the script
and said, “Patrick’s the lead,
and that’s the part I want.”
After the audition, he said,
“I think I got Patrick.”
The role launched his career,
but he hated the idea of46 Month 00, 2016 PEOPLE
12345HUNGRY FOR LIFE
- Ledger (left) with best
friend Trevor DiCarlo (ca.
1983).2. His school picture
ca. 1989.3. With DiCarlo
two years before they left
home. “We drove across the
country without any AC
and had to stop along the
way to let the car cool down,”
he says.4.In the Greek
Islands with a camera
(ca. ’01).5.“Everything
with Heath was fun,” says
his sister Kate (ca. ’98).