The life of Heath Ledger’s daughter, Matilda Ledger, away from the limelight

Matilda Ledger may be the daughter of two actors, Australian star Heath and Michelle Williams, but she was raised on a farm far from the limelight.

Heath’s only daughter, 17, has rarely been seen over the years as her mother, Dawson’s Creek star Michelle, 42, wanted to “keep things real” so her daughter grow up

The student was recently seen in New York, with Matilda now wearing a striking resemblance to his late fatherwho tragically died in 2008.

The Dark Knight actor has died at the age of 28 after taking a fatal drug cocktail, leaving behind his daughter Matilda, who was two years old at the time.

Michelle, who was in a relationship with Heath from 2004 to 2007 after they met on Brokeback Mountain in 2005, decided to move Matilda out of the limelight.

Growing up in a country house

Blue Valentine star Michelle took a break from the limelight and moved upstate New York with Matilda after Heath’s tragic death.

Michelle raised her daughter away from the bustle of the city center when they moved to a country cottage for six years.

He previously said the move was due to his desire to provide “a healthy home environment” for his daughter.

She told the New York Post in June 2016: “We moved, left Brooklyn, and lived in the country for six years because it was an intolerable state of existence.”

Years later, Michelle made the decision to return to the city and bought a property in Brooklyn, where she lived before the move.

Prior to their time on the field, Michelle and Heath had previously shared a $3.6 million townhouse in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.

Heather brooklyn saying in 2006: ‘I like everything about Brooklyn. I love it.’

‘Keep things real’

It was said that Michelle was determined to “keep things real” for Matilda during her childhood, despite her own background as an actress.

In 2015, when Matilda was 10, Heath’s sister Kate Ledger told The Sunday Telegraph that her existence was “as normal as it gets”.

“His existence, while different from most, is as normal as it can be in an abnormal world,” he told the publication.

His relationship with Heath’s family.

After Heath’s death, his family made sure to keep in touch with his only daughter, as well as his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Michelle.

In 2018, Heath’s mother, Sally, told Us Weekly. ‘We’ll see [Matilda] in New York next week. So we’ll be there for a few days and see how it’s grown.

“We keep in constant contact with Michelle and Matilda and visit them frequently,”

Heath’s sister Kate also spoke about her relationship with Matida, saying: “I love telling [Matilda] stories about her dad and how she grew up. I think it’s very important for her to have a good idea of ​​where she comes from so she can get to know herself.’

Stay away from social media

Heath’s father, Kim Ledger, previously spoke with the herald of the sun about Michelle and Matilda, describing the former as “very private”.

Both Michelle and Matilda are very private about their lives and neither have a social media presence.

Michelle married theater director Thomas Kail in 2020, after previously being married to Phil Elverum for a year from 2018-2019.

Michelle and Thomas welcomed son Hart in 2020 and another baby boy just a couple of months ago.

Finding balance in life

Earlier this month, Michelle also spoke about finding the “balance” between filming movies and juggling motherhood, while giving insight into raising Matilda and her two other children.

She told Entertainment Weekly that the children “have to reach, and they have to be held, everything.”

‘So I’m continually searching, because equilibrium is not a stable place. Balance means that you are always adjusting,” she said.

‘So you have to figure it out because we have to stay in the workforce, even though it often seems untenable. My heart obviously belongs to my children; they pull him more. But I really want to be able to have both.

She also commented that “having kids is really good for” keeping her from taking work home with her, especially when playing harrowing roles.

She said: ‘I’m not going to take something home and contaminate my children’s experience. I think ultimately I can remember that it’s not my life, it’s not my pain or my sadness. It’s something that moves through me and then out of me.

Inherit his father’s wealth

Matilda has inherited her father’s entire estate, which amounts to $16.3 million.

In 2003, Heath signed a will leaving his fortune to his parents and sisters, two years before his daughter Matilda was born.

After her death, there was speculation as to whether Michelle would file a claim for Matilda to be the sole beneficiary.

However, there was no need for her to do so in the end, as Heath’s family gave the entire property to Heath’s only daughter.

Harmonious relationship with his mother.

It has been reported that Michelle and Matilda share a very close relationship.

A couple of years ago, Michelle claimed that Matilda hadn’t even reached the teen tantrum stage of life, and that they would still stick together.

She said: Matilda hasn’t hit those terrible teenage years yet and seems to have skipped it entirely. Every morning we wake up and wait to see if the transformation has taken place and if she has become the next level that I keep hearing about, but we’re not there yet.’

family life now

Michelle, who is now married to theater director Thomas Kail, previously spoke about wanting to give Matilda siblings in an interview with GQ in 2012.

She said: ‘I really wanted, and really hoped or imagined, that Matilda would have siblings her own age. I wanted that for her. But I couldn’t make that happen.

‘And now that he is 6 years old, that is no longer a possibility. So something that made me impatient, that’s been removed. For some reason, that’s not our luck, or our way.’

However, eight years later, the actress found her happy ending with Thomas and the couple tied the knot in 2020.

Later that same year they had a baby boy and a second child together in 2022.