Perth, July 01: The Australian hometown of late actor Heath Ledger named a theater after him Tuesday to honour his commitment to acting. The 91 million Australian dollar (USD87 million), 575-seat Heath Ledger Theatre in Perth, was a fitting tribute to Ledger because he was always supportive of other young actors, Western Australia state Premier Alan Carpenter said at a naming ceremony.

Ledger died in January at age 28 of an accidental prescription drug overdose in New York. The Perth-born actor shot to international stardom after his critically acclaimed performance in 2005`s "Brokeback Mountain".

"Heath Ledger was totally dedicated to the craft of being an actor and that`s what made him successful," Carpenter said. "I think what we`re doing is continuing that support for young people who want to make a career in the arts and acting, stage and in film, whatever it happens to be."

"The actor`s father, Kim Ledger, called the tribute a pleasant surprise. He was such a giver to the arts right across the board."

I really feel that there`s not a lot of things he`d put his name to, but he`d put his name to that," said Kim Ledger, who attended Tuesday`s ceremony. Kim Ledger said family members would travel to New York later this month to attend an opening screening of his son`s final film, "The Dark Knight".

"The actor`s performance in the movie has already been lauded by critics. Kim Ledger said the renewed attention on his son because of the film had made the family`s grieving process difficult."

"It`s just been a little more public and the films make it a little more public as well," Kim Ledger said. "It`s been a little bit hard, but we`ve always been extremely proud of his work and that hasn`t changed.

Bureau Report