anna maxwell martin© Photo: Getty Images

Hollington Drive's Anna Maxwell Martin suffers heartbreaking loss 

The actress's former husband sadly died last week

TV & Film Writer
September 30, 2021

Anna Maxwell Martin has been left devastated following the death of her ex-husband and father of her children.

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Director Roger Michell sadly died on September 22 at the age of 65. Hollington Drive star Anna was married to the late TV and film director for 16 years before the couple split in 2020. 

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The filmmaker was best known for the hugely successful rom-com Notting Hill, as well as the made-for-television film Persuasion and My Cousin Rachel.

The former couple shared two daughters together - Maggie, 11, and nine-year-old Nancy - while Roger is also the father to son Harry and daughter Rosie from his first marriage to actress Kate Buffery.

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The pair struck up a romance back in 2003 when Roger cast Anna in a theatre production. The two worked together again on the 2004 film adaptation of Ian McEwan's Enduring Love, which also starred Daniel Craig. At the time, Anna was 27, while Roger was 48.

© Photo: Rex

Roger and Anna were married for 16 years

Anna opened up about their age gap in an interview with You Magazine last year, joking that she "groomed" him to fall in love with her.

Addressing their split, she said: "Our marriage has ended and we've been separated for quite some time. I haven't really spoken about it because it isn't fair on all the people involved. There are four children to think about. It's taken an enormous amount of time, but we are all getting through it in a healthy way."

The late film director shared two daughters with Anna

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, published just days before Roger's death, Anna said she and her former husband remained on good terms, and the pair were planning to spend Christmas together.

Anna has not yet commented on his death, although many other stars who worked with him in the past have, including Julia Roberts.

The Oscar-winning actress took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute in which she described the late director as "a kind and gentle man" she felt "so fortunate" to have worked with. "He always had a sweet grin on his face and a perfect piece of direction to share," she added.

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Actor Sam Neill, who starred in his 2019 film Blackbird also shared some kind words, remembering Roger as "a lovely man". 

Roger's last-ever film, The Duke, is due out next year and stars his ex-wife Anna as well as Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren and Matthew Goode. The British comedy-drama is based on the true story of Kempton Bunton, a retired bus driver who stole a masterpiece from the National Gallery in order to ransom it for charity.

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