Nanny McPhee Star Raphael Coleman Dies At 25

Raphaël Coleman, a former child actor best known for his role in Nanny McPhee, has died at age 25. Coleman passed away, his mother confirmed on Twitter. Born in September 1994, Coleman won the role of Eric in Nanny McPhee when he was just 10 years old. He would go on to star in a few more movies in the following years, but had been largely out of the film business since 2009. He continued to do advertising work, and in 2017 he wrote, directed, and edited a music video, according to his IMDb biography. British newspapers are reporting that he collapsed unexpectedly during a run.

Coleman attended the University of Manchester in 2013, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree for Zoology. He would go on to spend the rest of his life working in conservation, with his mother sharing a statement of purpose he had written for Exinction Rebellion along with her remembrance of her late son.

“Rest in peace my beloved son Raphael Coleman, aka Iggy Fox,” his mother — writer Liz Jensen — shared on Twitter Friday. “He died doing what he loved, working for the noblest cause of all. His family could not be prouder. Let’s celebrate all he achieved in his short life and cherish his legacy.”

The environmental group to which Coleman dedicated his life is not an uncontroversial one, and as “Iggy Fox,” he was one of their earliest and most vocal supporters. Coleman reportedly organized social media and other messaging for the group.

After his 2005 debut in Nanny McPhee, Coleman would have a big year in 2009, appearing in It’s Alive, The Fourth Kind, and Edward’s Turmoil. He went on to win the award for best young actor at the British Independent Film Festival in 2010.

In Nanny McPhee, which also starred Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Angela Lansbury, Widower Cedric Brown (Firth) hires Nanny McPhee (Thompson) to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon (Sangster) and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline. And when the children’s great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch (Lansbury), threatens to separate the kids, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee. A box office success, the film eventually got a sequel — but it was five years later and had none of the same kids in it.

Our thoughts go out to Coleman’s family and friends.