In the mind of his fans, Heath Ledger will never be forgotten. Nor will his performance as the joker in “The Dark Knight” which was iconic and phenomenal. As the Joker, Ledger rose to fame with as an actor but sadly, he never lived to enjoy it. The Australian actor worked hard to give a performance of a lifetime. He was in character most of the time and even discussed his role with Jack Nicholson so that he could grasp every aspect of his villainous and psychotic screen character. But did you know that at the time of his death he left behind a young daughter who was just two years old at the time?
Ledger, an Australian was born in Perth Western Australia in 1979 which means he died at a young age of 29. Ledger died in 2008 of a drug overdose. His partner and co-star from Brokeback Mountain Michelle Williams. Together they had a daughter Matilda Rose.
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Ledger was an accomplished actor at a young age having starred in noteworthy roles in movies like Brokeback Mountain and “10 things I hate about You”. He even won a posthumous Oscar at the 81st Academy Awards for the best supporting actor for his role of the Joker in “The Dark Knight”
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Matilda Rose was born to Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams on 28th October 2005 In New York City. For two years, she and her father were hardly apart and Ledger doted on his daughter.
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They were often photographed together in memorable poses like the one with Ledger carrying her on his shoulders.
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The father-daughter duo shared an adorable relationship but unfortunately, Ledger passed away and it was left up to Matilda’s mother to fill in the gap. After Ledger’s death, Williams led a quiet and secluded life keeping her daughter away from the paparazzi but now Matilda is all grown up.
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Williams was seen dating director Spike Jonze for a while but it is not known if that continued as Williams concentrated on her daughter more than anything. She ensured that Matilda Rose was out of the spotlight and never spoke about her personal life at all.
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Matilda Rose is now 13 and for Michelle now 37, raising Matilda has been a challenge. In fact, she revealed that Heath also wrote Matilda a lullaby before he died. In an interview she said, "In all honesty, for pretty much everything else, I feel like I’m a believer in not fighting circumstances, accepting where you are and where you’ve been.
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In pretty much all senses, but one, I would be able to go totally down that line of thinking were it not for Matilda not having her dad. I mean, it just won’t ever be right."
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She says she has watched simple moments like Matilda riding off on her bike to meet friends and would come into the house and cry because she felt that she succeeded in helping her daughter grow up happy. “Life has brought us to a place that’s not just surviving, but thriving."
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Toda Matilda looks the spitting image of Heath Ledger. Ledger’s sister Kate also remarked now that Matilda is grown up she not only looks like Ledger, she also has her father’s personality and spirit. She recalled how they called her “heath in pigtails” when she was younger.
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In the documentary “I Am Heath Ledger”, Kate Ledger also remarked, “Now everything she does, the way she rides a skateboard, reminds me of Heath.” She says that Matilda now grown up resembles both her parents but she definitely has hearth’s features.
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Kate also feels that she may inherit her father’s and Mother’s acting abilities and only time will tell. She says both her parents simply adored her. As for Michelle, there is news abuzz that an Oscar may be around her performance in “All the money in the world”. Heath would have definitely been proud of both his girls today.
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Credit goes to Michelle Williams who is famous in her own right but although she is regarded as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars, she still decided to go away for a while after Ledger’s death. “We moved — we left Brooklyn and lived in the country for six years because it was an intolerable state of existence,” she said,
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Michelle also says that Matilda has her father’s energy and radiates a similar aura. She remembers Heath speaking about Matilda in an interview in 2005 saying “Matilda is adorable and beautifully observant and wise. Michelle and I love her so much. Becoming a father exceeds all my expectations. It’s the most remarkable experience I’ve ever had—it’s marvelous.”
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Heath and Michelle Williams had separated amicably just before his death but they have never neglected Matilda Rose who Michelle says is now curious to know about her father. She was allowed to watch the documentary “I am Heath Ledger” after it was approved by Michelle.
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Interestingly though, her god-parents are Jake Gyllenhall Heath’s co-star in Brokeback mountain and Busy Phillips whom Michelle met on the set of “Dawson Creek”. Matilda to will grow into a budding young actress like her father.
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