Sydney - Kim Ledger, father of dead Australian actor Heath Ledger, Monday described his son's posthumous Golden Globe award as "bitter-sweet."

Ledger, who was 28 when he died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in New York a year ago, won the award for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

"I was just so elated, we all were," Kim Ledger told a local television network. "It was just so amazing, the mere fact that everybody stood for him and gave him a standing ovation. I mean that really hit us in the heart."

His father said his great regret was that the Perth-born actor was not alive to receive his honour.

"The fame and the money and those kind of things didn't mean anything to Heath, and it was more about recognition from his peers and the peers' press, and the fact that people were standing up and applauding his performance I thought was wonderful. The award is a celebration of his dedication, his creativity, his talent and his hard work." (dpa)