Almost a year after his tragic death, actor Heath Ledger was honored with a posthumous best supporting actor Golden Globe award on Sunday for his role as the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

Fueling belief that Ledger will also receive an Oscar nod when the nominations are announced on January 22, the same day he died of an accidental drug overdoes, the actor was honored for his supporting performance by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Sunday night in a ceremony telecast by NBC from Beverly Hills, California.

The award was presented by Demi Moore, who announced that a short clip of Ledger’s work in the film had been prepared. Accepting the award on Ledger’s behalf, director Christopher Nolan said he was doing so with an awful mixture of sadness and pride.

“After Heath passed on you saw a rip in cinema,” Nolan said. Now, the director noted he looks at "the incredible place in the history of cinema that [Ledger] built with himself." He went on praising his work and accomplishments, concluding that he “will be eternally missed, but he will never be forgotten.”

At the time of his death, the 28-year-old’s career was on the rise following an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain.” Before he took on more serious roles such as the Joker and the one in “Brokeback Mountain,” Ledger admitted in a 2006 interview he didn’t take thing seriously regarding his new-found fame after starring in “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999), “The Patriot” (2000) and “A Knight’s Tale” (2001).

“From 18 to 22, I was living in L.A. with a bunch of friends, partying. I don’t know if I knew, or cared to know, what I was capable of,” he said.

Fellow nominees in the best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture category included Tom Cruise for “Tropic Thunder,” “Robert Downey Jr.” for the same movie as Cruise, Ralph Fiennes in “The Duchess,” and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt.”

Speaking about his son’s posthumous award, Ledger’s father Kim Ledger, who cited personal reasons for not attending the ceremony, said he was proud of his son and touched by the one of several standing ovations the award received from the crowd.

He also revealed that his son had also acknowledged that his work as the Joker was his best yet, and that he would practice scaring people, making up “silly faces” and trying out different voices in preparation for the role.

“He just loved it. People have said that it's a dark piece and that brought him down but that just didn't occur. He was so elated with his work and so happy with his work. It was amazing,” Mr Ledger told Channel 9.

Ledger, who was cast as the Joker because “he’s fearless,” stated in an interview last year that the role was his favorite one in his entire career. He reportedly spent six weeks in a motel room, isolated from everyone, doing research on his character’s psychology, learning the Joker’s every tic, voice and laugh.

"The award is a celebration of his dedication, his creativity, his talent and his hard work," Kim Ledger, who admitted he had a hard time watching "The Dark Knight," added.

The actor has already picked up a series of awards for his role, including a Critics' Choice Award for best supporting actor, which was accepted by the film's director on his behalf.