Heath Ledger aspired to be a film director. For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain", Ledger won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and Best International Actor from the Australian Film Institute, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Academy Award for Best Actor. Posthumously, he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the ensemble cast, the director, and the casting director for the film "I'm Not There", which was inspired by the life and songs of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.
Heath Ledger the award at the 66th Golden Globe Awards ceremony telecast on NBC on 11 January 2009 with "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan accepting on his behalf. Film critics, co-stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Caine and many of Ledger's colleagues in the film community joined Bale in calling for and predicting a nomination for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in recognition of Ledger's achievement in "The Dark Knight." Ledger's subsequent nomination was announced on 22 January 2009, the anniversary of his death. Ledger went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the second person