Heath's Family Hatches Scholarship

Family of late star creates fund to help Australian actors

Heath Ledger final role: guardian angel.

Teaming up with the Tinseltown-based organization Australians in Film, Ledger's relatives, friends and ex-fiancée Michelle Williams last night unveiled the Heath Ledger Scholarship Fund, which will provide financial aid for Oz expats struggling to break into Hollywood. The scholarship will help cover the costs of acting classes and rent.

The amount of the award has yet to be finalized, but it will be doled out annually beginning in 2009 in memory of the 28-year-old Brokeback Mountain star, who died Jan. 22 from an accidental prescription overdose.

The scholarship was announced at last night's AiF Breakthrough Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, which honored up-and-comers Abbie Cornish, 25, and Mia Wasikowska, 17.

"It's going to involve a number of benefactors and there's been a lot of interest already," said Gregor Jordan, who directed Ledger in 2003's Ned Kelly and was on hand for the announcement. "I was talking to Michelle Williams, his partner and the mother of his child, today and Michelle has said she would be very proud and happy to be the first benefactor."

Heath's dad, Kim, was in Australia and unable to attend the event, but sent a note of thanks.

"We know that Heath would be proud of his attachment to this scholarship," the elder Ledger wrote. "[It] does what Heath has done personally during the last 10 years...[supporting] Australian actors, singers, directors or writers who seek to supply their talents to the USA."

AiF was established seven years ago, and its emissaries include the A-list Oscar-owning likes of Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson.