Today marks 11 years since Heath Ledger tragically died but a heartwarming story has resurfaced which shows the depth of feeling toward the Australian actor.

It is well known that Heath was never able to finish his last movie, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, and as a result director Terry Gilliam had to find a replacement in order to finish the project.

But rather than find just one he managed to get three, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell, who were so heartbroken by the young actor's death that they donated their wages for the film to his daughter, Matilda, who was not mentioned in his will as it was written up before she was born.

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All three actors starred as three different versions of the character that Heath had been signed up to play.

Speaking at the time, director and former Monty Python writer, Gilliam, revealed their 'extraordinary' gesture.

He said: "They didn't take money - it goes to Heath's daughter.

Heath's portrayal as the crazed clown has gone down in movie history as one of the most iconic villains ever. Credit: Warner Bros

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"That's extraordinary and wonderful, and when you're part of that, you think, 'Ah, this is maybe why I went into the movies in the beginning. I thought it would be full of wonderful people.' And we've got a movie full of wonderful people who did extraordinary things to help."

Gilliam added: "It's the last chance to see Heath and he's brilliant."



Heath was found dead in his New York flat after suffering from an overdose of prescription drugs, in 2008.

His death was ruled accidental with a toxicology report finding he had oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine in his system.

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Johnny Depp was one of the stars who donated his earnings to Heath's daughter, Matilda. Credit: PA

The 28-year-old actor had completed work on the the Batman movie, The Dark Knight, just a few months before his death, and it was this film that saw him take on his most iconic role, the Joker.

Heath's portrayal of the clown has gone down as one of the most memorable on-screen performances ever, with actors since finding it almost impossible to replicate or compete with.

It was a part that took over his life. In an interview with The New York Times while filming, he revealed that he was struggling to sleep.

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He said at the time: "Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night, I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."