Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda, 17, is his spitting image in rare New York sighting

Matilda Ledger, the 17-year-old daughter of Michelle Williams and the late Heath Ledger, is the spitting image of her actor father.

Matilda was recently spotted in New York City casually dressed in an oversized tan parka, denim jeans and gray trainers.

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The teenager was carrying a black tote bag and was busy looking at her phone when she was caught in the Big Apple.

Matilda was just two years old when Heath Ledger died of combination drug poisoning in January 2008.

After his death, Matilda’s mother moved the family from an apartment in Brooklyn to a farm in upstate New York.

Matilda was kept out of the public eye while she was growing up, so not much is known about her.

She has not given any media interviews, but on the rare occasions when she is photographed in public, the resemblance to her famous father is evident.

In 2015, Heath’s parents, who live in Perth, gave an interview describing Matilda as “just like her father” in some ways.

“She’s always full of questions and she always wants to know this or that about her dad and I guess that will get more intense when she gets older, and we’d love that, especially when she’s old enough to travel,” dad Kim Ledger told The Project at the time.

“She’s got a huge number of her mannerisms, she’s got her energy, because Heath hasn’t slept since he was two.

“And Matilda is like that, she’s a ball of energy and she gives off this aura that Heath looked like.”

Heath’s mother, Sally, agreed.

“Matilda indeed looks a lot like her father – she has long limbs and similar features.

“However, she also possesses the beauty of her mom – one lucky girl.”

It has been reported that Matilda is planning a visit to Australia for a “gap year” after completing her studies.

“She wants to see and spend time with Heath’s family before getting into serious college business in America,” a source told New Idea.

The source said Williams, 42, was worried Matilda might take a year off because Australia is “so far away”.

“(Matilda) understands her mother’s concerns, but she has a deep need to understand the other side of her heritage,” the source said.

Before COVID, the Ledger family had made the trip to the United States to visit Matilda, but recent travel restrictions had put a stop to that.

A source told Woman’s Day that the Ledgers felt they were “missing so much.”

“But Matilda is a strong-willed young girl, just like her father, and she informed Michelle that she wanted to go to Perth,” the source said.

“Michelle is extremely protective of Matilda and tried so hard to shield her from public life, but she went along with Matilda’s wishes.”

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