Michelle Ingrid Williams was born on September 9, 1980 in Kalispell Montana. At the age of 9, Michelle moved to San Diego with her parents Carla and Larry. It was around this time, that she got interested in acting, but her parents disapproved. When she turned 15, she legally emancipated herself from them. She soon after quit school to pursue an acting career.
In 1998, Michelle got two big roles, a part in the horror movie Halloween:H20 and a lead role in the television series Dawson's Creek. The show ran for 6 successful seasons. During the show she starred in such films as Dick, But I'm a Cheerleader, Me Without You, Prozac Nation, The United States of Leland and the Station Agent. This was about the time Dawson's Creek came to a end. Soon after, Michelle Williams got a leading role in the movie "Brokeback Mountain", the role brought her two things an Academy Award nomination and co-star Heath Ledger as her boyfriend. In 2006 she appeared in The Hawk is Dying with Paul Giamatti. In 2007, she was in The Hottest State opposite Ethan Hawke; and in the In 2008, she starred with Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman in the film Deception.
Michelle and Heath had a daughter on October 28, 2005. They named her Matilda Rose Ledger. After the birth, the couple got engaged. Matilda's godfather is Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath and Michelle's Brokeback Mountain co-star. In September 2007, the couple split up.
On January 22, 2008, Michelle's world came crashing down when her ex Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment. Michelle released this statement "Please respect our need to grieve privately. My heart is broken. I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father. All that 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 steps two at a time and we know that he is with us still. She will be brought up with the best memories of him."
Although Heath won many posthumous awards for his portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight, Michelle did not accept any of them on his behalf. Though when Matilda turns 18, she will be given his awards.
Since then Michelle has she has worked on more movies. Her upcoming movies are Shutter Island and Blue Valentine. She has also recently started dating director Spike Jonze.
