Michelle Williams with the performer at the “Awake and Sing!” after-party on opening night at the Marriott Marquis Ballroom in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Sadly, at the age of two, Matilda’s father unexpectedly went away in 2008 at his New York apartment. Little Matilda would constantly ask her mother confusing questions about her father since she couldn’t understand his sudden disappearance, and Michelle was unable to provide clear answers. She kept asking the same question:
“Where is my dad right now?”
The actor’s costars provide financial support for his daughter
The actor passed away tragically while filming “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.” In the film, a traveling theater troupe’s leader, after making a bet with the Devil, gives his audience the choice between gratifying their ignorance and their own yearning for knowledge.
Johnny Depp (L) and Jude Law attend the UK premiere of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 13, 2018, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
After the celebrity died, director Terry Gilliam wasn’t sure if he should keep making the movie or find someone else to play the role. His daughter eventually convinced him to go with the latter. Instead of casting Ledger in the remaining roles, he cast actors Colin Farrell, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp. Gilliam said:
“No one asked how much the part would pay or if it was right for them. They all wanted the movie to be finished in Heath’s honor because they were all of his friends.
Irish actor Colin Farrell poses on the red carpet as he arrives to promote the film “Pride and Glory” on October 28, 2008, at Rome’s Film Festival 2008. | Found via Getty Images
Tom Cruise and other A-list stars expressed interest in playing Ledger, but Gilliam turned them down as they didn’t know the actor.
Gilliam was more concerned about whether it would be financially advantageous to replace him, but the three actors were more worried about his daughter.
The Actor in Various Locations in Santa Barbara, California | Source: Getty Images
In an act of extraordinary generosity, the three performers worked for little compensation and kept none of it for themselves, giving Matilda her full wage. It would subsequently come to light that the star’s two-year-old daughter was not included in his will.
The Millionaire Actor Showdown
The well-known actor Heath Ledger wrote a will long before his daughter was born, leaving his estimated $118,000 in wealth to his parents and three sisters. He never amended the will after the birth of his daughter.
Actress Michelle Williams and her daughter Matilda Rose, then two years old, return to their Boerum Hill home following the news of Matilda’s father, actor Heath Ledger, passing away on January 23, 2008 in Brooklyn, New York. | Source: Getty Images
Normally, that would mean his daughter had no claim to any inheritance from her father. But everything took a dramatic turn a year after the actor’s death.
Actress Michelle Williams (right) and her daughter Matilda Ledger stroll to their Brooklyn borough home in Boerum Hill on October 30, 2009, in New York City. | Found via Getty Images
The actor’s father, Kim Ledger, told The Sunday Times that his family will give the entire actor’s money to his daughter instead of keeping any of it for themselves. As reported by Fox News, he said:
Nothing is asserted. Our family has given all to Matilda.
Actress Michelle Williams was sighted in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on October 30, 2009, along with her daughter Matilda. Image sourced from Getty Images.
The decision strained relations between Kim and his brothers, who claimed Ledger’s father was unable to function as the actor’s executor since he had previously squandered their grandfather’s fortune.
Nevertheless, Kim was spared because Ledger’s executor, an Australian named Robert John Collins, rejected the unfounded accusations made by Kim’s siblings. The claims caused the brothers to quarrel, and they haven’t spoken to each other since.
Matilda’s Current Life: A Reflection of Her Father’s Death
Matilda was only two years old when her father passed away, but now, fifteen years later, she is an adult. It’s evident how much the 17-year-old resembles her father from the extremely few pictures of her that are online. Several family members, including her grandfather Kim, noted the remarkable resemblances.
“She mimics his mannerisms quite a bit.” She is quite inquisitive. Heath has never slept since he was two years old, and Matilda shares his vigor in this regard.
Kim lavished his granddaughter with compliments, calling her a bundle of fire with a presence reminiscent of Ledger. Matilda not only inherited traits from her father, but also from her mother, who lives her life preserving Ledger’s memories for his daughter.
What has stayed constant about her dad is the young child’s insatiable curiosity about his life and personality.
Since her father passed away, Michelle Ledger has done a fantastic job raising Matilda by herself. As the actor’s sister Kate Ledger would later tell People:
“Given the kind of industry she works in, I think she creates such a lovely atmosphere for Matilda to grow up in.”
Kate talked about how grounded Michelle was and remarked on how much Matilda resembled her deceased brother. She said that anything Matilda does makes her think of her brother.
Simple acts that Matilda independently performed were the same as those that Ledger would have performed, such picking up a pencil and getting on a skateboard.
To help her brother’s daughter remember him, she also tells People, “I tell her about her daddy every time we see each other.” I tell her little stories about him from when he was younger, like how he used to follow me around with a cricket bat.
Despite having well-known parents, Matilda keeps a low profile; the few available photos of her show her with her mother in a variety of public places.