His daughter was horrified when Heath Ledger passed away because she was unable to locate him. She would lose out on more than just his presence, though. She was not named in the actor’s will. Three of Ledger’s costars sacrificed their pay for her out of concern for her well-being.
In the blockbuster movie “The Dark Knight,” Heath Ledger played the role of The Joker, a psychotic criminal mastermind with a twisted sense of humor.
The actor also starred in a number of other films, such as “I’m Not There” and “Lords of Dogtown.” When “Brokeback Mountain” was being filmed in 2004, the actor met and fell in love with Michelle Williams. Matilda Rose Ledger, their daughter, was born a year later.
On January 14, 2006, in Sydney, Australia, actor Heath Ledger, his wife Michelle Williams, and their daughter Matilda Rose Ledger depart Sydney International Airport for their home in New York. | Source: Getty Images
Sadly, the two parted ways in 2007, but Ledger’s devotion to his daughter never wavered. According to director Terry Gilliam, the actor would load his daughter in his bag, board the tube, and travel to his home to discuss a film they were working on.
Unfortunately, Ledger died unintentionally at his New York apartment in 2008 when Matilda was just two years old. Matilda, who was too little to comprehend her father’s abrupt withdrawal, kept asking her mother questions about him that Michelle was unable to respond to. She would inquire constantly:
“Where is my father?”
Heath’s Costars Save His Daughter’s Money
Ledger was filming “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” just before he tragically his away. The movie tells the story of a traveling theater group whose leader, after placing a wager with the Devil, offers his audience the option of satisfying ignorance or self-fulfilling insight.
Terry Gilliam, the film’s director, was unsure whether to replace Ledger or discontinue the project after his passing. He decided on the latter after some persuasion from his daughter. He selected Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell, all Hollywood A-listers, to play the remaining roles in the movie and take Ledger’s place. Gilliam stated:
“No one inquired as to whether the part was appropriate for them or how much they would be paid. They all wanted to ensure that the movie was completed in Heath’s honor because they were his buddies.
On October 28, 2008, Irish actor Colin Farrell walks the red carpet at Rome’s Film Festival 2008 to showcase the film “Pride and Glory” | Source: Getty Images
Tom Cruise and other A-list celebrities offered to fill Ledger’s role, but Gilliam rejected them since they didn’t know Ledger well.
The three actors were anxious for Ledger’s daughter, while Gilliam questioned if it made economical sense to replace him with three actors.
The three actors gave Matilda their entire wage in a gesture of exceptional kindness, working for meager pay and keeping none for themselves. As it turned out, Ledger had left his daughter, who was two years old, out of his will.
Heath’s Millions Showdown
Long before his daughter was born, the award-winning actor had drafted a will that left his parents and three sisters the projected $118,000 in his inheritance. After the birth of his daughter, he never revised the will.
That would normally imply that his daughter had no claim to anything that her father had left her. But a year after the actor’s passing, things drastically changed.
On October 30, 2009, actress Michelle Williams (R) and her daughter Matilda Ledger stroll to their Brooklyn borough residence in Boerum Hill. Getty Images is the source.
Kim Ledger, Ledger’s father, stated to The Sunday Times that his family will give the actor’s daughter all of his riches rather than claiming any of it themselves. According to Fox News, he stated:
“No claim exists. Matilda has been given everything by our family.
Kim and his brothers were at odds over the decision; two of them said that Ledger’s father was unable to serve as the actor’s executor since he had mishandled their grandfather’s estate years before.
The Australian executor of Ledger’s will, Robert John Collins, defended Kim, claiming that the charges made against him by his brothers were unfounded. The brothers argued about the accusations and have remained apart ever since.
When her father died, Matilda was just two years old. Fifteen years have passed, and she is now fully grown. Rare pictures of the 17-year-old that are online make it clear how much she looks like her father. Her grandfather Kim, among others, commented on the striking similarities:
She shares a great deal of his demeanor. She has a lot of questions. Because Matilda is like that and Heath hasn’t slept since he was two, she has his vigor.
Kim lavished praise on his granddaughter, describing her as a bundle of vitality and radiating an aura similar to Ledger’s. Matilda’s mother, who strives to preserve Ledger’s memories in his daughter, is another attribute she got from her father.
One constant about the young child is her incessant curiosity, which she uses to try to understand and learn more about the person her father was during his lifetime.
As the actor’s sister Kate Ledger would tell People, Ledger’s family praises Michelle for the admirable job she has done raising Matilda alone after her father passed away.
“I believe that, given the type of industry she works in, she creates an absolutely fantastic environment for Matilda to grow up in.”
Kate said that Michelle was grounded and that Matilda looked a lot like her deceased brother. She revealed that she is reminded of her brother by everything Matilda does.
Simple operations carried out automatically by Matilda resembled those Ledger would have carried out, such as taking up a pencil and boarding the skateboard.
She also says to People, “I tell her about her daddy every time we see each other,” in an effort to preserve her brother’s memories in his daughter. I tell her tiny tales about how Dad used to chase me with the cricket bat when he was younger.
Matilda has a relatively low profile despite having famous parents; the few pictures of her that are accessible are of her mother in various public settings.
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