It’s now been 15 years since her father’s untimely passing but the legacy of Heath Ledger is still very much alive in his only daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger.
Rare family photos make it easy to see just how much Matilda, now 17, looks like her Oscar-winning dad, who sadly passed away in 2008.
Indeed, the striking resemblance has been noticed by her loved ones including her Australian grandfather Kim Ledger.
“She’s got an enormous number of his mannerisms,” Kim told Channel Ten’s The Project in a past interview.
It’s clear that Matilda inherited some of her dad’s features.
“She’s very inquisitive, she’s got his energy, cause Heath never slept from when he was two and Matilda’s like that.
“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.”
The teen has also inherited traits from her mum, actress Michelle Williams, but Kim revealed the Hollywood star works hard to keep Heath’s memory alive in Matilda’s life.
“Michelle’s been brilliant. She’s kept Heath very much alive in her daughter’s eyes. She’s always full of questions, always wanting to know this or that about her dad.
“And I guess that will just get more intense as she gets older and obviously we would welcome that,” Kim poignantly added.
Michelle was with the Perth-born actor for three years between 2004 and 2007 but never let their split affect their bond with Matilda.
For Heath, becoming a father was a turning point in his life with the star admitting in 2006 that family “is everything to me – the most important thing I do.”
“Before, I felt like I was floating through life, like a ghost; I may not have even existed,” he mused.
WATCH: Marking a decade since Heath Ledger’s death. Story continues after video.
In 2017, the Brokeback Mountain star’s childhood friend Kane Manera told People that he was a natural father.
“The shape of his body changed,” he said. “He became warmer – it was like he would stand in a way with Matilda that you knew they were linked.”
Michelle wed theatre director Thomas Kail in March 2021 and the couple welcomed a child (a son named Hart) together shortly after.
In November 2022, the actress gave birth to her third child and revealed that Matilda, who loves being a big sister, also leaned on actor Jeremy Strong for support when Heath died.
Keep scrolling to see how Matilda has grown over the years and how she looks just like her dad today.
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Michelle and Heath fell in love on the set of the critically acclaimed 2005 flick Brokeback Mountain but split in 2007, the year before he died. The actress told Vogue in 2011: “[His death] changed how I see the world and how I interact on a daily basis. It’s changed the parent I am. It’s changed the friend I am.”
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For Heath, becoming a father was a turning point in his life, with the star admitting in 2006 that family “is everything to me – the most important thing I do.”
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“Becoming a father exceeds all my expectations. It’s the most remarkable experience I’ve ever had – it’s marvellous,” the Two Hands star mused of raising his lookalike daughter.
It was clear from her earliest years that Matilda had inherited some of her dad’s features – as well as his cheeky personality.
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Matilda was only two-years-old when her father, 28 at the time, accidentally overdosed in his NYC apartment on January 22.
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“Michelle’s been brilliant. She’s kept Heath very much alive in her daughter’s eyes,” Heath’s dad told The Project. With her big eyes and blonde hair, Heath’s only child, pictured on the right in 2009, is certainly keeping his memory alive too.
The actress has chosen to keep much of Matilda’s childhood private, a decision Heath would have likely been onboard with. But raising her without her dad around hasn’t always been easy.
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“I feel like I’m a believer in not fighting circumstances, accepting where you are and where you’ve been. 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,” the Oscar nominee told Porter magazine of Heath’s death.
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While the youngster is Heath’s doppelganger, Matilda is also morphing into a young Michelle. The duo share the same mouth and cute button nose.
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Pictured here as a pre-teen, Matilda clearly shares many of the same striking features as her late father – including his dark eyes.
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As she has grown into a young woman, Matilda has blossomed into her father’s mini-me, as proven by rare photos of her.
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And while Matilda will always be in touch with her Aussie roots, mum Michelle has raised her daughter in NYC.
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The 17-year-old became a big sister in 2020, after her mum welcomed a child with husband Thomas Kail.
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The similarities are undeniable and as Heath’s only daughter continues to grow up we hope to see even more of her.
