Who is Matilda Rose Ledger, the late Heath Ledger’s only child? The 18-year-old was recently spotted with mum Michelle Williams in New York, and has Jake Gyllenhaal and Busy Philipps as godparents
It’s been more than 16 years since the untimely passing of celebrated actor Heath Ledger who, in January 2008, was found unconscious and not breathing in his New York flat. It was later revealed that the 10 Things I Hate About You and Brokeback Mountain star had died from a toxic combination of potent prescription medications.
The entertainment industry – and indeed the world – mourned the tragic death of Heath, who was only 28 years old at the time.
In addition to the iconic career that the Australian born actor left behind, Heath was survived by his only child, daughter Matilda Rose Ledger – who was recently spotted in a rare outing with her mother, actress Michelle Williams, in Brooklyn, New York.
Now 18 years old, Matilda seems to be emulating her famous father in many ways. So what do we know about Heath Ledger’s only offspring? Let’s take a closer look.
Matilda Rose Ledger was only two years old when her dad passed away
Not only does Matilda have a very famous father, her mother is the equally accomplished actress Michelle Williams, who reached international prominence as a teenage actress in the hit 90s television show Dawson’s Creek and recently starred in The Fabelmans as Mitzi Fabelman.
Williams and Heath met in 2004 on the set of Brokeback Mountain. Though the couple split in 2007, they welcomed daughter Matilda into the world on October 28, 2005.
For Heath’s funeral and memorial service, Williams and Matilda flew to his hometown of Perth, Australia. This was in 2008 when she was only two years old. As per Woman’s Day, Matilda has not returned to her late father’s home since.
Her godparents are also Hollywood celebs
As she was born to stars like Williams and Heath, it’s unsurprising that there’s an additional famous face or two in Matilda’s life. In fact, her godparents are Hollywood A-lister Jake Gyllenhaal, who appeared in Brokeback Mountain with Ledger, as well as actress Busy Philipps, who co-starred with Williams in Dawson’s Creek.
She became a sister in 2020
In the years since Heath’s death, Williams has avoided intense media attention and publicity, keeping her and her daughters’ lives as private as possible.
In 2019, however, People reported that Williams was engaged to Thomas Kail, the director of the American musical Hamilton. The couple share a son, Hart, who is now four years old, making Matilda a big sister. Since then, Williams also welcomed another child with Kail in 2022, though not much is known about them.
She is apparently very much like her late dad
In a past interview on Australian talk show The Project, Matilda’s grandad and Heath’s father, racing car driver and mining engineer Kim Ledger, commented on the uncanny similarities between his granddaughter and late son.
“She’s got an enormous number of his mannerisms. She’s very inquisitive, she’s got his energy,” Kim said. “I mean, she’s just got this ball of energy and she radiates this little aura. Heath was kind of like that. So it’s fabulous really.”
A source close to the family also reportedly disclosed that Matilda has taken a keen interest in one of her late dad’s favourite hobbies – chess. “Heath was obsessed with chess, and now Matilda is getting quite good at it. She even has her dad’s old chess board,” the insider revealed to New Idea.
She’s been interested in spending time with Heath Ledger’s family
According to Woman’s Day, following her father’s death, Matilda was raised exclusively in the United States, with her Australian side of the family making the trek from Perth to New York for visits.
But in 2022, a source close to Williams disclosed that the teenager was hoping to visit Perth to spend more time with Heath’s family, particularly her grandparents and aunt Kate: “It’s heartbreaking for the Ledgers, they’re missing so much. But Matilda is a strong-willed young thing, just like her dad, and she’s informed Michelle that she wants to go to Perth.”
“Michelle is extremely protective of Matilda and has tried so hard to shelter her from public life, but she has accepted Matilda’s wishes.”
If Matilda does return to Australia, she will be welcomed very warmly – and not just by her family. There was previously speculation that casting directors and television insiders will vie to get Matilda to feature in an episode of two of Home & Away, the Australian soap opera that gave Ledger his first big acting break.
In 2023, it was reported that Matilda was planning an extended gap year in Australia before university, per British media, though it’s unclear whether those are still her plans, given her recent sighting in New York.
