Though Heath Ledger’s short but memorable life was marred by a lot of pain, the Aussie actor had two remarkable people in his orbit who brightened his dark days.
It was the love he had for actress Michelle Williams, and the child they shared together, a daughter named Matilda, that gave him purpose and strength.
The Dark Knight actor’s struggle with depression and inability to cope with the pressures of fame cast a shadow over his successful career. But after he welcomed his baby girl, Ledger had a new light in his life.
READ MORE: ‘Million miles from what was coming’: Last photo of Friends cast before fame
READ MORE: How Julia Roberts became a real-life ‘runaway bride’ in 1991
Ledger, who began work as an actor in the ’90s, shot to fame after appearing in the 1999 rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You.
The Perth-born star then began proving he had talent as a serious actor, landing roles in films including Brokeback Mountain and, eventually, as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
It was his casting in the 2005 Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain as Ennis Del Mar that saw Ledger meet and fall in love with his co-star, Williams.
The couple met on-set in 2004 and immediately began a whirlwind romance.
Aussie celebs at the beginning of their career vs. now
“Our initial meeting, the circumstances of how we first met, were cosmic or something,” Williams would later recall in a GQ interview.
Even the couple’s co-stars said Ledger and Williams’ chemistry was hard to deny.
Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Jack Twist in the film, once said: “I remember being in rehearsal, and the two of them had googly eyes with each other.”
Dawson’s Creek alum Williams also remembered being on the set of the film as a very “special” time.
“It will be forever special because of meeting Heath and having Matilda,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2008.
“It is probably not often in your lifetime that you are part of a film that means so much to so many people.”
When the film wrapped, Ledger and Williams were officially an item. And after less than a year of dating, the Deception actress fell pregnant with the couple’s first child.
In October 2005, Matilda Ledger was born. Ledger was so smitten with his daughter and he adored becoming a father, as he often revealed to the press.
Olympic legend welcomes fourth child with wife
“I’m so proud. I just fall deeper and deeper in love with both my girls,” People reports him as saying soon after her birth.
“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 marvellous.”
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald in 2006, Ledger also acknowledged how much his role in Brokeback Mountain changed the trajectory of his personal life.
“It’s a trip. It’s incredible to what level the film has changed my life,” he said.
“I mean, it’s given me an incredible amount of synchronicity. I have these two girls that I fall deeper and deeper in love with daily and that is, hands down, the greatest gift that I’ve been given from this. I’ll forever be grateful.”
For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here
Becoming parents, it seems, briefly made Williams and Ledger closer than ever. Though it wasn’t to last, as in 2007 the couple split after three years together.
In her 2018 memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little, Williams’ best friend Busy Phillips opened up about her pal’s breakup and shed some light on the reason.
“They were so young and that baby was the light of both of their lives. They were just working all the time and it was complicated,” Phillips wrote.
“S— is always complicated. Especially when you’re 28. And movie stars. With a baby.”
Ledger’s time as a father was also tragically short-lived.
READ MORE: ‘That’s not the truth’: Infamous Ellen moment four years on
In 2008, when Matilda was just aged two, Ledger was found dead in a NYC hotel room. His cause of death was later listed as an accidental overdose.
“I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father,” Williams said in a statement to the media at the time.
“All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day.”
At the time of his death, Ledger had just finished filming his critically-acclaimed portrayal of the Joker in the 2008 film.
He would later earn a Best Supporting Actor Oscar posthumously for the role.
And for the past 16 years, the world has closely followed Williams as she raised her daughter Matilda alone.
Matilda is now a teenager and her mum works hard to keep her late father alive in her memory.
“I always say to Matilda, ‘Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes,'” Williams told Vanity Fair in 2018.
“When you’re a single parent, and that element of provider and protection is missing, it’s scary.”
In 2020, it was announced Williams was expecting her second child with her husband, director Thomas Kail. She welcomed the couple’s child in June 2021.
Williams’ career has also gone from strength to strength, with the actress nominated for several Oscars for her work in Manchester By the Sea and The Fabelmans.
“When my daughter was younger, I took more on-the-road jobs because she was so little,” Williams said in a rare remark about her daughter in 2023.
“And then I think they reach an age when they need to embed themselves with their school, and their friends, and their activities.”
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).
