Australia has awarded the late Heath Ledger with a posthumous best actor award for his portrayal of The Joker in “The Dark Knight,” an honor accepted by the actor’s family Saturday night in Melbourne.

Nearly eleven months after the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger, he was posthumously awarded on Saturday, December 6, with the best-actor trophy at the 50th Australian Film Institute Awards at Melbourne’s Princess Theater, for his performance as the Joker in Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight.”

Ledger’s father Kin, mother Sally and sister Kate accepted the award to standing ovation, reports trade paper Variety. The family said they were very proud of Heath Ledger and accepted the award on behalf of his three-year-old daughter Matilda, with actress Michelle Williams.

The Australian Film Institute said the “swaggering, psychopathic clown” who is The Joker in Ledger’s critically-acclaimed interpretation, had turned the actor’s career into a legacy, while the name Heath Ledger became “an ongoing inspiration for actors everywhere.”

As soon as “The Dark Knight” was released in July, to film critics’ enthusiastic reviews, particularly over Ledger’s part, and moviegoers adoration and awe, speculation commenced that Ledger would be nominated posthumously for an Academy Award for best supporting actor.

Ledger has become the first actor to win a posthumous award at the Australian Film Institute Awards. Furthermore, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already familiar with his work, as he received a nomination for his work in 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain.”

Ledger would be the only actor besides Peter Finch (“Network,” 1976) to earn an acting Oscar posthumously.

Among those honored Saturday at the AFI Awards were Cate Blanchett, named best actress for her role in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” and Hugh Jackman, who received the readers’ choice award.