# Movies where a main actor dies during filming done well? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2009, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-main-actor-dies-during-filming-done-well/492736 "2009-04-11T10:51:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-main-actor-dies-during-filming-done-well/492736/21 "2009-04-12T09:07:51Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’ve seen the movie a hundred times and have never been able to tell which Brandon Lees were really Brandon Lee and which weren’t, as it were. > > It probably helped that the whole damn thing is shot in semi-darkness. Going through it, I think I can spot a few of the not-Lees, _because_ of the semi-darkness—profile or rear view shots where Draven’s running about in concealing darkness, especially. But the odd thing is, I think it actually _helps_ the composition of the film: if they’d been filming one of the leads instead of a stand-in, most of the shots would have been focused on getting shots of the actors face and his performance. In a way, by having to move away from showcasing the _actor_, we get to see more of the _character_. It’s actually pretty unique. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-main-actor-dies-during-filming-done-well/492736/22 "2009-04-12T18:37:25Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Interestingly, not only did those three actors agree to play the other versions of the character, but they agreed to give the salaries they would have gotten for their roles to Matilda, Ledger’s daughter. Ledger didn’t get around to changing his will after Maltilda’s birth, so all his money went to his father. I find that hard to believe or just publicity. In both Australia and the USA there are laws which prohibit the disinheriting of minor children. His estate is still responsible for that child PRIOR to any distribution of money to his father. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-main-actor-dies-during-filming-done-well/492736/23 "2009-04-12T18:54:35Z")
Well, regardless of what happened to the money from his estate, Matilda is not going to starve. Her mother, Michelle Williams, is quite well off. According to the Wikipedia entry on Heath Ledger, his will left half his estate to his parents and half to his sibllings. It also says that his father has declared that they are giving the money to Matilda: > **[Heath Ledger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Ledger)** > > Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career further. His work consisted of 20 films in a variety of genres, including 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Monster's Ball (2001), Casanova (2005), Lords of Dogtown (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Candy (2006),... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-a-main-actor-dies-during-filming-done-well/492736.md?page=1)