HEATH LEDGER - LEDGER LEADS GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS

LEDGER LEADS GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS

Late actor HEATH LEDGER has earned a posthumous nomination for his role as The Joker in BATMAN movie THE DARK KNIGHT at the 2009 Golden Globe Awards.
The Australian star - who was found dead at his New York apartment in January (08) - has earned a nod for Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture.
Ledger will compete against Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. for their roles in war comedy Tropic Thunder, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt and Ralph Fiennes for The Duchess.
Ledger's father, Kim, has spoken of his delight at his son's nomination, telling People.com, "This nomination is deeply appreciated and is not lost on those of us who continue to love and miss him. We are so proud our boy's work is being recognised in this way."
The movies battling it out for the coveted Best Motion Picture Drama award include Brad Pitt's The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Revolutionary Road and Slumdog Millionaire.
The nominees in the Best Director category are Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire, Stephen Daldry (The Reader), David Fincher (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button), Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road) and Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon).
Angelina Jolie and her partner Brad Pitt are also both up for awards - Jolie has been nominated for the Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her role in Changeling, while Pitt received a Best Actor for his performance in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
Jolie will fight it out against Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long) and Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road).
The other stars nominated in the Best Actor category are Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk) and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Doubt lead the nominations with five nods a piece.