Actor's Month: Heath Ledger

 Seriously, who can question this?

In order to make it on my Favorite Actor list, a person must be able to hold his or her own in a variety of roles and be convincingly different in each. Heath Ledger: The Dark Knight and Brokeback Mountain. Enough said. But if you throw in Lords of Dogtown, 10 Things I Hate About You, Brothers Grimm,  The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and pretty much every other film he's ever made, you'll see his greatness even brighter.

I would have to say The Joker in The Dark Knight is my favorite Ledger role, not because it's the "loudest" role that he plays, but because he is absolutely brilliant in it.  I remember when he was cast and people were wondering how the pretty boy could possibly pull of the Joker.  I regret to say that even Lizzi and I questioned him. But as soon as I saw him in the movie, I started crying. The man was amazing - not a glimpse of the pretty boy in him; he was pure Joker. It is sad that the disturbing mental and emotional requirement of this role was, quite possibly, what led to his death, when it appeared to be the peak of his career. But it will always be my favorite of his performances.

And, though I did not know him personally, I miss Heath Ledger.