Michelle Williams Opens Up About Heath Ledger

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Michelle Williams carries Health Ledger’s memory near and dear to her heart.

17 years since his untimely death from an accidental overdose in 2008, the star of “The Greatest Showman” continues to cherish the extraordinary individual that Heath Ledger was, and he remains deeply connected to him through their shared 19-year-old daughter Matilda.

Mentioning his “Brokeback Mountain” co-star Heath Ledger during a conversation with Dax Shepard (who has daughters Lincoln, 11, and Delta, 9 with Kristen Bell), reminded him of all the past experiences he shared with Heath.

During an episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcast on May 19th, Dax expressed that he had known the actor somewhat during his journey to sobriety. He mentioned feeling a heavy burden on him in a unique way that touched his heart deeply, causing him great sadness. Dax believed the actor was truly extraordinary.

In response, Michelle gushed, “So special, so special. Thank god there’s Matilda.”

When the podcast host characterized the actor from “10 Things I Hate About You” as having a “heart that’s overflowing everywhere,” Michelle wholeheartedly concurred, expressing her own sentiment as “Absolutely, he possesses tremendous sensitivity.

Back in the year 2004, while weaving our hearts together on the set of “Brokeback Mountain,” a movie that went on to earn eight Oscar nominations and secure three victories following its release in 2006, Michelle and I found ourselves entangled in a love story. Our bond deepened, and by 2005, we were overjoyed to become parents for the first time. However, our paths diverged two years later, marking an end to our journey as a couple.

However, looking back at their shared experiences, the former star of Dawson’s Creek recalls everything as a dizzying blur.

Michelle reminisced, ‘We welcomed a newborn into our lives.’ Perhaps one advantage of youth is the lack of extensive life experiences, making it easier to simply go along with things as they happen.

Currently, the 44-year-old woman, who is a mother to four-year-old Hart and two other children with her spouse Thomas Kali, acknowledges that being a mom has played a significant role in keeping her personal and professional lives balanced and harmonious.

Michelle said, ‘Children are like mirrors for our lives.’ They make us present our best selves because we can’t neglect our responsibilities or passions. However, we must balance these aspects of life to determine who or what we prioritize.

Acknowledging that it’s impossible for her to excel in both dedicating herself fully to her work and providing quality time for her daughter, she underlined the importance of finding a balance, saying “You need to allow for some flexibility, but you must also take care to refill your energy in other areas.

If you’re spending a prolonged time at home, it’s essential to revisit what you’ve neglected and shed some light on those areas,” she explained further. “In other words, it’s about maintaining a balance – not letting one task or responsibility linger for too long.

As Michelle and Matilda move forward honoring Heath’s memory, let’s delve into his life through a collection of photos.


Heath was born April 4, 1979, in Perth, Australia. The 28-year-old actor was found dead at a SoHo apartment on Jan. 22, 2008, by a housekeeper who had gone in to tell him his masseuse had arrived.

Get all the details in our
news story
…

Flowers, cards and other tributes were placed outside Heath’s apartment building following the news of his death.

On Tuesday evening, the NYPD retrieved Heath’s remains from a building in SoHo that serves as an apartment complex. At this point, the initial autopsy findings are unclear.

Get details in our news story.

As news of Heath’s death was reported, reporters and photographers set up camp outside the building where his body was found.

In the closing days of 2009, I was fortunate enough to capture one of the final images of Heath Ledger, on the set of Terry Gilliam’s enchanting film production, a fantastical tale centered around a nomadic theater troupe, Satan, and an alluring magic mirror.

This summer, Heath Ledger’s menacing portrayal of the Joker will clash with Christian Bale’s Batman. The details regarding potential impacts on the film, currently in the final stages of production, remain undisclosed.

Among six actors portraying look-alikes of Bob Dylan, Heath is one of them in the biographical movie about the renowned musician, Robbie Clark.

In this symbolic love story, Heath Ledger portrays a poet delving into themes of love, intimacy, and notably, drug addiction, alongside Abbie Cornish.

Heath escorted his partner and

Brokeback Mountain

costar Michelle to the Oscars, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and he earned a nod for Best Actor. The two met on the set of the gay-cowboy love story.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath’s costar in

Brokeback Mountain

, here with his good buddy at the Venice Film Festival, is the godfather of his daughter, Matilda. (Actress Busy Philipps is Matilda’s godmother and Michelle’s best friend.)

With his role as heartbroken cowboy Ennis Del Mar, Ledger cemented his place as a household name.

Matt Damon and Ledger celebrate the premiere of their Terry Gilliam pic,

The Brothers Grimm

, at an after-party in L.A.

In this movie, Ledger portrays a seasoned figure from the early skateboarding community of Venice, California. He guides rebellious characters such as Emile Hirsch within this setting.

Heath, here at the Toronto Film Festival, was one of

People

magazine’s Most Beautiful People in 2001 and, in 2007, named one of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in the world by

Empire

magazine.

Making significant strides in his acting journey, Ledger delivers intense suffering in the death-row drama, sharing screen time with Billy Bob Thornton and Sean Combs.

Dancer turned actress turned DJ Shannyn Sossamon became friends with Heath on the set of this 2001 film.

As Mel Gibson’s son in the Revolutionary War epic, Ledger went from whodat to mainstream.

Initially, Heath made a noticeable appearance in pop culture alongside Julia Stiles, playing the role of Patrick, opposite her as Kat, in a modernized high school adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play “The Taming of the Shrew“. The memorable scene where his character serenaded hers with “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” is particularly noteworthy.

In the late ’90s, an Australian actor moved to the United States to pursue his dream in Hollywood, which was famously portrayed as a teen idol in the movie “10 Things I Hate About You”.

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2025-05-19 19:17