What Was Oscar-Winning Actor Heath Ledger's Net Worth?

The bulk of Ledger's net worth is associated with his earnings from "The Dark Knight".

PUBLISHED DEC 18, 2023

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Heath Ledger | Chris Weeks

Name	Heath Ledger
Net Worth	$20 Million
Sources of Income	Acting
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	Apr 4, 1979
Date of Death	Jan 22, 2008
Age (at the time of death)	28
Nationality	Australia
Profession	Actor, Music Video Director

Heath Ledger's net worth

Heath Ledger proved himself as a great actor in his short lifetime. The Australian actor is best known for playing the role of the Joker in the movie, "The Dark Knight" which contributed to his net worth even after his death. The bulk of his money is now left to his daughter Matilda, who he shared with his former partner, Michelle Williams who is also an actor. When the Academy Award-winning actor passed away in January 2008, his net worth was somewhere around $20 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.

Getty Images | Heath Ledger | Carlo Allegri

Heath Ledger's sources of income

The bulk of his money is associated with "The Dark Knight." He reportedly earned close to $20 million from the film.

Career

He dropped out of school to pursue acting and started out by appearing in small roles in family films like "Clowning Around" and television series like "Sweat" and "Ship to Shore." He also worked in the popular Australian soap opera, "Home and Away," and made his feature film debut in "Blackrock." He got his breakthrough in 1999 when he starred in the crime film, "Two Hands." He was also seen in the movie, "10 Things I Hate About You" which also launched the career of Julia Stiles. He was seen in many projects over the next few years like "The Four Feathers," and "The Order" in which he was seen in the role of Ned Kelly.

In 2005, he starred in the drama, "Lords of Dogtown," and "Brokeback Mountain." Following the success of this film, he was seen starring opposite Abbie Cornish in the romantic drama, "Candy" in which played the role of a man with heroin addiction. Ledger was also in the biopic of Bob Dylan called, "I'm Not There." Ledger then bagged the iconic role of Joker in Christopher Nolan's film. The Dark Knight was the second installment in his Batman trilogy. The film was a massive box office hit which collected more than $1 billion worldwide. He received a posthumous Academy Award for his role in this movie.

Heath Ledger's personal life and death

Heath Ledger was born on April 4, 1979, in Perth, Western Australia. He was of Scottish and Irish Descent. He attended Mary's Mount Primary School and Guilford Grammar School. He never attended college and dropped out of school to pursue acting.

He has been linked with many actresses over the years including, Naomi Watts, Heather Graham, and more. In 2004, he started seeing Michelle Williams with whom he had a daughter Matilda. He struggled with health issues including insomnia. He was on pills in an effort to cope with his illnesses. On January 22, 2008, he was found unconscious in his bed by his housekeeper and his massage therapist. It was reported later that he passed away due to the accidental overdose of a range of medications.

Getty Images | Heath Ledger and actress Michelle Williams | Kevin Winter — Heath Ledger and actress Michelle Williams | Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Heath Ledger's assets

He had a home in LA's Los Feliz neighborhood which he sold to guitarist Tony Kanal for $2.725 million in 2005. He later paid $2.1 million to Ellen DeGeneres for a house in the Hollywood Hills where he lived with his partner Michelle Williams. Ledger also had another apartment in Manhattan's Soho Neighborhood.