Wolf Hall star Mark Rylance’s wife Claire van Kampen dies on his birthday

Mark Rylance has paid tribute to his wife, Claire van Kampen, who passed away from cancer at the age of 71 on the actor’s 65th birthday.

The sad news was confirmed by Mark and his daughter, Jennifer, with the pair sharing: “Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance, has died this morning, Saturday the 18 January at 11:47, in the ancient town of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family.

“Wife of architect Christopher van Kampen and, later, actor Mark Rylance, Claire was mother of two girls with Christopher, Nataasha van Kampen and Juliet Rylance. 

“Concert pianist, composer, musical director at Shakespeare’s Globe for 20 years under Rylance and then Dominic Dromgoole, playwright, theatre director, she was also one of the funniest and inspiring women we have ever known. 

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“Claire has died of cancer on Mark Rylance’s 65th birthday. Her youngest daughter having died in 2012, she leaves her eldest daughter, Juliet Rylance, her two husbands, and countless beloved friends in England and America. “

The message concluded: “We thank her for imbuing our lives with her magic, music, laughter, and love. Ring the bell, sound the trumpets reverie, something is done, something is beginning. One of the great wise ones has passed.”

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During her life, Claire was an accomplished director and music director, having joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986. One of her specialities was in composing Tuder-period music, leading to her being the music director for her husband’s hugely successful series, Wolf Hall. 

The 71-year-old was the first female musical director at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. She served as the Director of Theatre Music at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre since its opening in 1997.

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Mark and Claire first met back in 1987 during a production of The Wandering Jew at the National Theatre, where Claire was the musical director and Mark played the role of Agricola.

Reflecting on the early days of their romance, Claire told The Times in 2015: “I didn’t really notice him until one day I was playing the piano and, out of the corner of my eye, I just saw these wonderful calves, dancing away. I thought, ‘Gosh! Those are really well-developed calves. That’s unusual. You normally see that on a sportsperson.’ And I looked up and it was him!”

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Before marrying Mark, Claire was married to architect Chris van Kampen, welcoming two daughters with him, Juliet Rylance and Nataasha van Kampen.

Tragedy struck the star in 2012 when Nataasha died unexpectedly at the age of 28. The star had been on a flight when she passed away from “unsuspected natural causes”.