Jul 24 2008
Oscar seems in the cards for Heath Ledger’s Joker
HOLLYWOOD — A driving portion of the Bat Fever that has followed the release of The Dark Knight can be attributed to Heath Ledger’s fearless/terrifying portrayal of The Joker.
Even with the considerable buzz leading up to the release of the movie, few were prepared for the commanding disappearing act that was Ledger’s performance.
Understandably, Academy Awards talk has begun in earnest. While a nomination is an absolute shoo-in, there’s a growing consensus that a win is likely in the cards.
If so, it would be the first time an Oscar was awarded posthumously since 1977, when the late Peter Finch (playing a raging “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” TV commentator in Network) won a Best Actor statuette.
He had died of a heart attack two months prior to the telecast.
Finch was the first and, to date, only person awarded an Oscar posthumously. Should Ledger’s performance go the distance, the actors have some other things in common:
In addition to both hailing from Australia, their only prior Oscar noms were for playing gay characters — Ledger in Brokeback Mountain and Finch in Sunday, Bloody Sunday.
