LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Heath Ledger's sociopathic reinvention of Batman bad guy the Joker in "The Dark Knight" earned him the supporting-actor honor Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The win puts the actor a step closer to becoming just the second performer to win a posthumous Academy Award, following Peter Finch, the best-actor recipient for 1976's "Network."

Accepting the award, Dark Knight co-star, Gary Oldman said: "I'm quite emotional. It is a great honor to be asked to accept this on behalf of Heath. He was an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary talent, and it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight."

Oscar buzz has been flying over Ledger's performance since before his tragic loss just over a year ago. With the SAG win and the Golden Globe, Ledger now looks like a virtual lock to receive the supporting-actor Oscar on Feb. 22.

Before the ceremony, Oldman speculated that Ledger would have appreciated receiving the honor from fellow actors.

"I don't really know what he thought of awards ceremonies," Oldman said. "I can hazard a guess. But I think for any actor, he'd have liked this one."

Before the show, "The Dark Knight" won SAG's honor for best movie stunt ensemble, while "Heroes" took the same prize for television.

Associated Press


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