The Academy Awards sometimes honor those who passed away before they could see their work reach the screen. The first person to win an Oscar posthumously was screenwriter Sidney Howard. He won for Best Adapted Screenplay for the epic 'Gone With the Wind' at the 12th Academy Awards in 1940. Tragically, Howard died in a farm accident involving a tractor just months before the film's premiere. Since then, several others have been honored after death, most famously Heath Ledger for his role as the Joker in 'The Dark Knight' (2009) and Peter Finch for 'Network' (1976), who remains the only person to win a posthumous Best Actor (Lead) award.