Four Weddings And A Funeral actress Charlotte Coleman died last week aged just 33 after suffering a massive asthma attack in her north London flat. The two-time Bafta nominee was found dead on Wednesday by her mother who became worried after not being able to contact her.
Charlotte’s parents Francis Coleman and Ann Beach had spent Tuesday with the actress and said she had been in good spirits. “When she left she said she was feeling a little ill and I told her to stay with us but she wanted to go home,” Francis said. “The family is devastated. We loved her and she was a rare creature who the camera loved. It has all come as a terrible shock to us all but the family is pulling together.”
The actress had always suffered from asthma, but had never experienced a major attack before.
“She was in an upstairs room and her asthma inhaler was found downstairs,” her sister Lisa told UK tabloid the Daily Mail. “Apparently it was very clear that she had suffered from extremely inflamed lungs.”
Charlotte got her start on screen aged eight and later found success with the BBC sitcom However Do You Want Me? She was nominated for a Best Actress Bafta in 1991 for Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit. And she found herself back at the prestigious awards ceremony three years later, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Hugh Grant’s eccentric flatmate in Four Weddings.
Geoffrey Perkins, head of comedy at the BBC, was among those mourning the loss. “Charlotte was a charming and wonderfully eccentric person,” he said. “She brought these qualities and more to the roles she played. She will be sadly missed.”
A private family funeral is planned for Wednesday.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
