And The Oscar Goes To Matilda, If Heath Wins
Posted February 18, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
If Heath Ledger wins the supporting actor Oscar on Sunday night, as many expect he will, the statuette will eventually go to his daughter Matilda Rose.
Three-year-old Matilda is the late actor’s only child, and has been designated the owner of her father’s Oscar if he receives it. But she won’t technically own it until her 18th birthday under Academy rules, and only then if she signs a contract.
Heath Ledger, nominated for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year. He was only 28.
Academy tradition calls for the spouse or oldest child of a deceased winner to receive the award, but Ledger wasn’t married to Matilda’s mother, actress Michelle Williams. Because of Matilda’s age she’s legally unable to sign the winner’s agreement, which stipulates that the Oscar not be sold before it’s offered back to the Academy for $1.
So, to get around the legal issues, the Academy has decided to place the statuette, if it goes to Ledger, in trust with Williams over the next 15 years. When the youngster is old enough she’d become the official owner and could choose to keep it or to return it to the Academy.
As for who would accept on Ledger’s behalf, that still remains a mystery, known only to Oscar show producers.
Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams arrive at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 13, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
