British actor Raphael Coleman was only 11-years-old when he made his film debut as red-haired bespectacled Eric Brown in the 2005 U.K. family movie Nanny McPhee. Coleman later quit acting after 2009, took up the name Iggy Fox, and became an environmental activist. Tragically, he died February 6, 2020 at age 25. How did he die? According to his stepfather Carsten Jensen, "He collapsed without prior health problems in the middle of a trip and could not be restored."
In Nanny McPhee, Raphael Coleman played one of Cedric Brown's (Colin Firth) seven children. Eliza Bennett played another one of the children, Tora Brown. Bennett reacted to the death of her former co-star, saying she was "heartbroken" by the news:
Raphael Coleman is credited in three more movies after Nanny McPhee -- It's Alive, The Fourth Kind, and the short film Edward's Turmoil. All three were released in 2009. In 2018, he spoke to The Adventures Ahead about being a wildlife biologist and conservation worker, mentioning his courses in zoology and world travel. Here's how he described the pivotal moment that taught him his dream:
When I left school, I’d saved up money to go traveling. I picked up a brochure for volunteering in a travel agency, and a project in a game reserve in South Africa caught my eye. The first week I rocked up, I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. We went out on drives to radio-track elephant, cheetah, and wild dogs… I couldn’t believe that this was a career option. I’ve never doubted my decision to work with wildlife since, but the goals have become bigger, more complex and far-reaching every year. It wasn’t long before I started concocting plans to save the natural world...
Raphael Coleman also became an active member of the climate activism group Extinction Rebellion. His mother, Liz Jensen, confirmed his death via Twitter and linked to an article he wrote for XR.
That article ends with an embed to this very recent video showing Raphael Coleman/Iggy Fox talking about going from a child star to his latest work:
Raphael Coleman's stepfather, Carsten Jensen posted a lengthy Facebook tribute to the young man, honoring his passion and legacy:
It's hard to believe someone so young with so much passion is already gone. Film fans and his co-stars will always remember him fondly from Emma Thompson's Nanny McPhee movie, but it's clear Raphael Coleman/Iggy Fox's legacy goes much deeper than that. He will be missed.
Keep up with everything heading to the big screen this year with our 2020 movie release date schedule.
