Claire van Kampen, a talented theater director, composer, and wife of actor Mark Rylance, passed away at the age of 71 on Saturday. She battled cancer and died in Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family. Her husband, Mark Rylance, also celebrated his 65th birthday on the same day.
Born on November 3, 1953, in London, England, van Kampen studied music theory and piano at the Royal College of Music in London, specializing in the performance of 20th-century music. She started her professional career in theater in 1986 with the Royal Shakespeare Company and later joined the Royal National Theatre.
Van Kampen’s Broadway debut was with Sam Shepard’s True West in 2000. She also worked on other productions such as Boeing-Boeing, La Bête, Twelfth Night, Richard III, and Farinelli and the King, all starring her husband, Mark Rylance. She received a Tony Award nomination in 2018 for her work on Farinelli and the King.
In addition to her work in theater, van Kampen held various artistic positions, including serving as an artistic associate at Shakespeare’s Globe, a musical consultant and resident composer to director Dominic Dromgoole, and a creative associate at the Old Vic Theatre in London.
Van Kampen was previously married to architect Christopher van Kampen and had two daughters, Juliet and Nataasha. Tragically, Nataasha passed away at the age of 28 in 2012.
Van Kampen’s legacy will live on through her music, creativity, and contributions to the theater world.
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