Previously Unseen Heath Ledger/Joker Image Hits The Web [Photo]

A never-before-seen photo of the late Health Ledger as “The Joker” from 2008’s The Dark Knight is making rounds on social media sites today.

In the sequel to Christopher Nolan’s 2005 Batman reboot Batman Begins, Australian actor Heath Ledger portrayed the character’s arch-nemesis, a criminal mastermind known as “The Joker.” Ledger’s portrayal of the re-imagined supervillain was critically acclaimed and earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Ledger died in Manhattan on January 22, 2008 from an accidental “toxic combination of prescription drugs.” His body was found in his bed by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, and his masseuse, Diana Wolozin, at his apartment in SoHo.

He had recently wrapped filming on The Dark Knight and was in the midst filming Terry Gilliam’s 2009 film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. He played the character “Tony” and appears in the completed film. His role was also played by Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law who appeared as “physically transformed versions” of the character in the eponymous “Imaginarium.”

The photo of Heath Ledger (posted below) shows the actor in full makeup as his Joker character, casting an odd look toward a smiling friend who has his arm around him.

Bullett reports that the man in the photo is Nathan Holmes, Ledger’s on-set assistant during the filming of The Dark Knight.

No one knows where the photo came from, but, so far as we can tell, it has never been seen before. It started making rounds on Facebook, where it was picked up by the media.

Are you a fan of Heath Ledger? Check out the previously unseen photo of the actor as “The Joker” below, and let us know what you think.