“He was lying back in his bed and he was looking at the stars which he had... which he had pasted on the ceiling, and they were those fluorescent stars, the ones that glow in the dark. And he was looking up there and he said, “oh dad, get used to it, because this is what my life is going to be all about. There’ll be lots of late nights and stuff like that, and I’m going to be committed in this business. And I’m going to be in film and I’m going to do well at it” and that’s... you know, he said that to me.”
Vincent Fantauzzo says the portrait titled Heath may well have been Heath Ledger's final creative work.
(Photo: AAP - Supplied)
Vincent Fantauzzo sent his friend, Heath Ledger, a photo of the final product, but he's unsure if he opened the email before he died.
(Photo: Sergio Dionisio / Getty Images)
Australian actor Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2008 at the age of 28. He was found dead in his New York City apartment from an accidental prescription overdose.
(Photo: Dean Lewins / AAP)
Kim Ledger and Vincent Fantauzzo formed an unlikely bond and continue to support each other 17 years on.
(Photo: Nicholas Martyr / ABC Australian Story)
Vincent Fantauzzo says Heath Ledger put on "a one-man-show" as he moved around the room posing for the portrait.
(Photo: Vincent Fantauzzo - Supplied)
What happened to the famous Heath Ledger portrait? Father Kim Ledger and artist Vincent Fantauzzo ask questions
Artist Vincent Fantauzzo went to bed the night before the 2008 Archibald Prize buzzing with the news that his portrait of the late Hollywood actor Heath Ledger was about to be named the winner of the prestigious art award.
But at the award ceremony the next day, Fantauzzo was blindsided, receiving a highly commended gong, with Sydney-based artist Del Kathryn Barton taking out the major prize.
By Leisa Scott and Sarah Grant
ABC TV Australian Story program
ABC News - 2 March 2025
The acclaimed portrait of actor Heath Ledger has only been exhibited briefly in the past 17 years. That has artist Vincent Fantauzzo and the
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Vincent, pictured as a boy on his mum's shoulder, says he 'chased approval' from his dad his whole life.
(Photo supplied by Vincent Fantauzzo)
Vincent has illustrated the chapters of his life.
(Photo: ABC TV Australian Story)
Vincent says he never received the boundaries he so desperately wanted from his parents as a child.
(Photo: Vincent Fantauzzo - Supplied)
Struggling with dyslexia, Vincent says he 'got himself kicked out' of school at age 14.
(Photo supplied by Vincent Fantauzzo)
Vincent and wife Asher attend the opening of the Fantauzzo Gallery in Melbourne with sons Luca and Valentino.
(Photo: Sam D'Agostino - Supplied)
Portrait artist Vincent Fantauzzo lost a friend when Heath Ledger died. But he gained an unlikely father figure
As Vincent Fantauzzo sat in church, listening to the priest eulogise his late father as a humble, Christian man, the artist could take no more.
Vincent stood up, grabbed the microphone, and said: "I know who you're talking about, but it's not my dad."
By Leisa Scott and Sarah Grant
ABC TV Australian Story program
ABC News - 3 March 2025
How the famous portrait of the Hollywood actor forged an enduring bond between his grieving father and the artist, Vincent Fantauzzo.
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YouTube video >> ABC TV ‘Australian Story’ program Series 2025 | Episode 5 | Home Truths - Vincent Fantauzzo [3 March 2025 / 30mins.]:
When acclaimed portrait artist Vincent Fantauzzo first appeared on Australian Story in 2019 to talk about his dyslexia, he wasn't able to reveal the full extent of his story.
But the passing of his father prompted Vincent to face the dark truths of his childhood, and cemented his commitment to stop the cycle of dysfunction.
After finally finding the role model he longed for in actor Heath Ledger's father Kim, Vincent is giving his own sons an upbringing that is vastly different to his own.
“ he loved all creatures, great and small. When he was on his last trip back to Perth here, which was on the Christmas before he passed away, um, I managed to... I organized a new car for him to drive around in. And he was parked in his mom’s driveway this particular afternoon. And I’d been over there to see him, to see everybody there. He was rushed, he was in a rush to go out and see one of his friends. As he backed out of the driveway, um, the driveway has a little kick in it because it goes around a tree. And he backed into the tree. So he hops out of the car and I... um, I was looking at the car, because he’s damaged the car. But he is looking at the tree. And I said, “what are you looking at?” He said “I’m looking at the ands, dad. I’ve killed some ants on the tree”. I’m saying there’s two grand damages on the car, you know [laughing] But that’s him. That was him, very gentle and didn’t want to hurt a creature” - Kim Ledger
