| Net Worth: | $16 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Apr 4, 1979 – Jan 22, 2008 (28 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 6 ft (1.85 m) |
| Profession: | Actor, Music Video Director |
| Nationality: | Australia |
| Last Updated: | 2020 |
Heath Ledger net worth and salary: Heath Ledger was an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning actor from Australian who had a net worth of $16 million at the time of his death in 2008. That’s the same as around $20 million after adjusting for inflation and does not include several million worth of additional assets that were received posthumously through real estate sales and royalties from the movie “The Dark Knight”. Heath Ledger passed away on January 22, 2008 from an accidental drug overdose. Ledger was 28 years-old at the time of his death.
The bulk of this money was left to his daughter Matilda. Matilda’s mother was Heath’s former fiance Michelle Williams, who is also an actor. At the time of his death, Heath was potentially owed as much as $20 million from his earnings related to The Dark Knight.
During his career he appeared in 19 films after getting his start in his home country of Australia. One of his earliest hit roles was in the movie “10 Things I Hate About You”. He also was notable for “A Knight’s Tale” and Monster’s Ball. He was most famous for his critically acclaimed roles in “Brokeback Mountain” and The Dark Knight”. For Brokeback Mountain, he received a range of film critic awards and nominations. He also won a MTV Movie Award for “Best Kiss” with co-star Jake Gyllenhall. For his role as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”, starring opposite Christian Bale as Batman, he was posthumously awarded an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
Estate: Immediately following his death, it was believed that Heath’s most recent will was signed before his relationship with Michelle and before the birth of their daughter. This temporarily caused some controversy over who was the legal heir to his estate. His estate as the time of his death was worth roughly $16 million. That number was expected to grow to as much as $20 million when real estate and an upcoming portion of profits from “The Dark Knight” were included. As such, for a time Heath’s family believed the estate should actually have been divided between his parents and three siblings, with Michelle and Matilda receiving nothing.
Ultimately, Heath’s family concluded that daughter Matilda was the primary heir to Heath’s estate. Heath’s father Kim would also later announce that Michelle was an “integral part of our family” and that “they would be taken car of and that’s how Heath would want it to be.”
On September 27, 2008, Heath’s father stated bluntly that “the family had agreed to leave the $16.3 million fortune to Matilda. There is no claim. Our family has gifted everything to Matilda.”
Notable Salaries: Heath earned $100,000 for his role in 1999’s “10 Things I Hate About You”. He earned $3 million for 2001’s “A Knight’s Tale”. The following year he earned $2 million for “The Four Feathers”. For 2003’s “Ned Kelly” he accepted just $50,000. For 2008’s “The Dark Knight”, Heath’s total earnings eventually topped $20 million.