The actor Heath Ledger has been found dead at a residence in downtown Manhattan, according to a New York police spokesman. He was 28.
Police spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home.

The housekeeper who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there found the actor dead at 3:26 pm local time.

"We are investigating the possibility of an overdose," Browne said. "There were pills within the vicinity of the bed."

The Australian-born actor was an Oscar nominee for his role in Brokeback Mountain and has numerous other screen credits.
Ledger played the son of Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball and had starring roles in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot. He was to appear as the Joker this year in The Dark Knight, a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins.

Ledger grew up in Perth and began doing amateur theater at the age of 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV film roles and guest spots on Australian television.

After several independent films and a starring role in the short-lived Fox TV series Roar, Ledger moved to Los Angeles and costarred in 10 Things I Hate About You, a teen comedy reworking of The Taming of the Shrew.

His latest role was in I'm Not There, in which he played one of the many incarnations of singer Bob Dylan.