It seems that everyone is talking about Dark Knight. And once again it seems that the badguy has stolen the show. So much so that many movie pundits including our own John Campea are anticipating a posthumous Oscar for the tragically fallen Heath Ledger.
Well not everyone is on his side, but its pretty popular in media to be the only one saying it.
The UK Guardian says:
History, however, is not on his side. James Dean was twice nominated in the wake of his death and yet still finished up as a posthumous loser on the night. More recently, Oliver Reed (for Gladiator) and Ulrich Mühe (The Lives of Others) were both tipped in vain for at least a nomination. In fact, the only actor ever to be awarded a posthumous Oscar was Network’s Peter Finch. Felled by a heart attack during the voting period, he swept to glory on a tidal wave of grief.
Personally I think this is nothing short of a brief history lesson on actors who died after their film and before the Oscar.
In each of those situations, would that person have won if they were still alive? Doubtful. I am sure the lack of a celebrity to hand the little gold statue to was a consideration in determining the winner.
So the track record for posthumous Oscars is honestly irrelevant.
Does he deserve the Oscar (or at least a nomination)? A lot of people think he does. Does the popular opinion on an Oscar contender always mean they will win? Not always.
Even coining the phrase “track record” seems to be inaccurate in this deduction. These are all different contenders in all different situations. The only common thread is that an actor passed away before the ceremony.
So history is not against Ledger’s chances. History has nothing to do with it.
And the spiffy Ledger/Joker without makeup pic is from ScreenRant
