Matilda

Matilda Rose Ledger was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 28, 2005. Her parents are the actors Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams; her godparents are Jake Gyllenhaal and Busy Philipps. Matilda is currently seven years old and still resides in Brooklyn with her mother.

“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 marvelous.”

                                                     —Heath Ledger

“Every time I miss him and wonder where he’s gone, I just look at her.”

                                                       —Michelle Williams

“Having a child changes every aspect of your life—for the better, of course. The sacrifices are large, but what you get in return is even bigger than the sacrifices you make. I feel, in a sense, ready to die because you are living on in your child. Not literally, not ready to die—but you know, that sort of feeling in a profound way.”

                                                        —Heath Ledger

“…I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father. All I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day. His family and I watch Matilda as she whispers to trees, hugs animals, and takes two steps at a time and we know that he is with us still…”

                                                         —Michelle Williams

“[Matilda is] adorably affectionate and very playful. She’s looking more like Heath every day.”

                                                          —Kim Ledger

“My daughter has a great gift, which is empathy, and she was very affected by people having lost their homes and lost their families [in the Japan earthquake] and since then, we’ve kept a jar in our house, a Japan jar, and she fills it up because she wanted to make a contribution, because she felt so deeply about what had happened and over the last year she’s been filling up her jar, been doing little chores, having little bakesales and she filled up the jar. I brought everything she has saved here, to Japan, and she was very excited for me to make this trip so I could bring everything that she had been making…”

                                                           —Michelle Williams