Mark Rylance and Claire Van Campen.
David M. Bennett/Jed Cullen/Dave Bennett/Getty ImagesMark Rylance He is sad about the loss of his wife Claire van Kampenwho died of cancer at the age of 71 on Saturday, January 18 – his 65th birthday.
The Rylances and their daughter, Juliet, announced in a statement: “Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance, died this morning, Saturday, January 18, at 11:47, in the old city of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family.” statement.
“Clare died of cancer on Mark Rylance's 65th birthday. After her youngest daughter died in 2012, she leaves behind her eldest daughter, Juliet Rylance, her two husbands and countless beloved friends in England and America.
Clare – a British theater director and composer who was the first musical director at both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theater – was described by her family as “one of the funniest and most inspiring women we have ever known”.
Hollywood mourned many celebrities in 2024, including Shannen Doherty and Liam Payne. Us Weekly confirmed Doherty's death on July 14. The Beverly Hills 90210 star first battled breast cancer from 2015 to 2017, and shared nearly three years later that it was back. In 2023, Doherty shared that her stage 4 breast cancer had spread to[…]
“We thank her for bringing her magic, music, laughter and love into our lives,” they added.
Rylance married Clare in December 1989, and became a stepfather to her children with her ex-husband Chris Van Kampen: Juliet, 45, and Natasha, who died suddenly in 2012 at the age of 28 after suffering a brain hemorrhage on a flight from New York to London.
“It's uncharted territory if something tragic like this happens to you. You realize this has happened to a lot of people. You make your own decisions on how to get through it,” Rylance said. Sunday Times In 2016.
Following Natasha's death, Rylance was nominated for an Emmy Award and won a BAFTA for his role as Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's advisor and grieving father and widower, in the television series. Wolf Hall. He also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2015 for his role in the film Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies.
Sir Mark Rylance poses with his wife Claire van Campen and their daughter Juliet Rylance after being knighted by the Duke of Cambridge during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on April 19, 2017 in London, England.
John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesClaire was diagnosed with cancer before she died. Born in London in 1953, she eventually trained at the Royal College of Music, where she studied piano and music theory, she says. BBC News. She then embarked on a theater career, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986, and a year later, the Royal National Theater, where she met Rylance. She later became Rylance's artistic assistant at the Globe Theatre, where she worked for 20 years.
She has composed original scores for Broadway productions including The real west, Boeing Boeing and No homeas well as Shakespeare adaptations Twelfth night and Richard III.
Dame Judi Dench began in the theater as Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet, and developed into one of Britain's most successful actresses by starring in films such as Chocolat, The Chronicles of Riddick and Shakespeare in Love. Dench was born in North Yorkshire, England, in 1934, and made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic. Dench grew up in (…)
“Claire completely changed my life,” Rylance said of Clare in 2023. “She introduced me to the world of classical and modern music, and we fell in love with music so much.” The Guardian.
“Claire came to me with two children that I raised with her and Chris, but we never had children of our own so, in a sense, our projects were our kids. They're amazing,” he continued, adding that Clare was “the rock of my life.”
