Heath Ledger (Nov 2007 file photo)

Police in New York City say Academy Award nominated actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday in a Manhattan residence. The Australian-born actor was 28.

Authorities say a housekeeper discovered Ledger unconscious in his bedroom, with bottles of sleeping pills nearby. They say there was no indication the actor committed suicide.

Ledger's father Kim confirmed his son's "tragic, untimely and accidental passing" to reporters outside his home in Perth, Australia.

Heath Ledger, left and Jake Gyllenhaal in scene from Brokeback Mountain

Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain.

He will appear later this year in the newest Batman movie, The Dark Knight, in the role of "the Joker."

Ledger has a two-year-old daughter, Matilda, from his relationship with actress Michelle Williams, who played his wife in Brokeback Mountain. The couple broke up last September.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.