If Heath Ledger wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor on Feb. 22, his family will accept the award on his behalf, Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan told EW.com at the DGA Awards Saturday night. Nolan accepted Ledger’s Golden Globe award on Jan. 8, and Ledger’s Dark Knight costar Gary Oldman took the stage on behalf of the young actor at the SAG Awards on Jan. 25. Nolan did not elaborate on which members of Ledger’s family would accept should Ledger win, but previous family statements have been made by Ledger’s father, Kim, mother, Sally, and older sister Kate, and it’s possible all three would step to the front of the Kodak on Oscar night. The last (and only) time an actor has won an Oscar posthumously — Peter Finch as Best Actor for 1976’s Network — the film’s screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky and Finch’s widow Eletha accepted on Finch’s behalf.
For more on Heath Ledger:
Heath Ledger: The Untold Story
Heath Ledger: A Career Retrospective
Heath Ledger's family will accept Oscar if late actor wins
Featured Video
Realite: Reality TV justice!
Worthy winners on ''Runway,'' ''ANTM''; just desserts on ''Top Chef'' and ''SYTYCD''; bonus Kris Allen!
More 
Today's Most Popular
-
-
-
The Ausiello Files Exclusive: 'FlashForward' shuts down production -
-
The Movie Critics 'New Moon,' 'Twilight,' Bella Swan, and me
Special Coverage
'Twilight' Saga: 'New Moon'
It's almost here! Get all the latest news, photos, video, and fan commentary leading up to the big premiere
More
Comments (1-22) of 22 Add your comment
Guaranteed to be a very touching moment. I cannot wait to hear his name announced as the winner. Well deserved, that’s for sure.
I do not want him to win.
It’s a pity win, that’s what this whole awards season has been. There have been truly more deserving performances this year.
Its not a pity win. His performance was amazing. Yes there has been other great performances this year, but please do not disrespect his performance with your petty comments.
*have been
His performance is definitely not a pity win. He deserves this just as much as any of the other people who were nominated.
It is NOT a pity win. If he were alive today, he would gotten all the accolades just the same, seeing as his was one of the most brilliant performances on film last year, if not THE most brilliant.
While I don’t doubt that he gave a great performance in TDK, I can’t help but think that it is a pity win. Cillian Murphy gave a brilliant performance in Batman Begins and he didn’t even get a nomination.
Jack Nicholson didn’t get a nomination for playing the Joker either.
It’s NOT a pity win. He deserves it for this performance, and he deserves it this year up against this competition.
I defy any haters to convince me anyone else is more deserving!
Josh Brolin was nominated because he is in a Best Picture nominee, in a high-profile biopic role, and is well respected in the industry. The part itself and the acting were not that great. It’s not big enough or good enough to win a major award.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is terrific in Doubt; he plays the character in such an interesting yet understated way that you can’t help but ponder whether he is guilty. Different viewers will respond differently. He is excellent, but it still isn’t quite Oscar-worthy. And he’s already won.
Michael Shannon is very lucky to be nominated. I thought he overacted, and the film and part sucked.
And Downey was terrific, but not hilarious enough to win, for a comedy.
No one else made their character feel as alive and as powerful as Ledger did. Heath hands down!
Its not a pity win. Heath desereved it!!!
And Sal, you can’t even compare Nicholson’s hammy though fine comedic turn in the original Batman to Ledger’s fascinating, gripping performance. You write as if you haven’t even seen the movie. Cillian Murphy was nowhere near as terrifying or impressive as Ledger.
Sal, it sounds like you haven’t even seen “The Dark Knight.” So you have no right to make any judgment about whether his performance is Oscar-worthy or not. It is not a pity win.
I think it’s a “deserved pity” win lol. If it hadn’t been for Heath’s passing, the Academy wouldn’t have looked twice at his marvelous performance. I guess someone else from the cast needed to die too for The Dark Knight to earn it’s rightful Best Pic nomination. I saw The Reader this past weekend, and both Gran Torino and TDK were better movies.
ok people, he’s been dead for over a year now, and I bet no one here even knew him. don’t get me wrong, i want him to win, but when he does, can we call a moratorium on the mourning please?
I’m just glad they cleared up the ridiculous rumour of Michelle William’s accepting the award on Heath’s behalf. If anyone should collect the award, it should be his family, hands down.
His family also accepted for him at the Aussie film awards. I hope Michelle Williams gets to go up as well.
Josh Brolin should accept an award on Heath’s behalf ’cause he’s done a better job in Milk!
HEATH LEDGER’S WIN FOR THE DARK KNIGHT WILL ABSOLUTLY NOT BE A PITY WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE GAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF LAST YEAR AND HE DESERVES TO WIN!!! IT WAS TERRIFYING TO WATCH HIM AND HE BECAME HIS CHARACTER. HEATH WOULD HAVE WON THIS AWARD IF HE WERE ALIVE BECAUSE HE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTORS OF HIS GENERATION!!! FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT HE ONLY WILL WIN THE OSCAR BECAUSE HE DIED AND IT’S A PITY WIN, YOU GUYS ARE REALLY SICK!!!!!! YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT A PERSON’S LIFE HERE!!! LET’S GIVE THE MAN THE RESPECT HE DESERVES!!!! I DON’T GIVE A D@MM WHAT PEOPLE SAY, WHEN HEATH WINS THE OSCAR WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE AND TOUCHING MOMENTS IN AWARD SHOW HISTORY.
What if the presenter just puts the oscar on the podium, and they have the 30 seconds of silence for his speech, no matter who gets up there it’s not going to be the same. And also after watching Milk’s Josh Brolin, hmm, i’m not so convinces his was the best performance. But would not bregrudge his win, since he was robbed for Brokeback Mountain.
he deserves to win the oscar award, is very hard to find an actor acts same as real life joker,, not to say that other nominated movie cannot win,,very hard also to find other actor has the joker characteristic,, no other reason he deserves to win
http://heathledger.com/2008/07/a-letter-to-heath-ledger-in-honor-of-his-final-role/
Everyone should read this, it’s beautiful.
Let’s see: he lithps, he talks (and talks and talks and talks), he limps, and he “threatens” people with a knife that looks like a particularly ineffectual potato peeler. James Cagney pre-1946 had more “terrifying” in his pinky finger than Ledger would have had in his entire performance as the Joker, even if “The Dark Knight” had been seventy hours long (and, by God, if the thing didn’t FEEL that long). The character was nothing but irritating, and Nolan let him do whatever he wanted… just because. No explanations. No logic. No logistics. Ledger doesn’t deserve the Oscar, but he WILL win. And we’ll have the nauseating moment of silence for a bonehead who wasn’t smart enough not to mix his meds. And the rabid fanboys will feel all vindicated and happy. Let’s move on, shall we…?