Raphaël Coleman, a child actor who became a climate change activist, has died at the age of 25.
Coleman’s death on Friday was reported by his mother, Liz Jensen. His stepfather wrote on Facebook that he had collapsed while out jogging.
Our beloved son Raphael Coleman aka #IggyFox who loved life so much. Please retweet in his honour. RIP a courageous spirit of #ExtinctionRebellion https://t.co/e6G9Zpz38v
— Liz Jensen (@LizJensenWriter) February 7, 2020
Coleman starred aged 11 opposite Emma Thompson and Colin Firth in the 2005 family comedy, and had subsequent roles in films such as It’s Alive, Edward’s Turmoil and The Fourth Kind.
He went on to study as a wildlife conservationist before joining Extinction Rebellion, for whom he worked as a video recorder and on its social media channels. It was then he assumed the name James “Iggy” Fox.
Last August, Coleman was arrested at a protest outside the Brazilian embassy. “My actions aren’t about sacrifice,” he wrote, “or arrest for the sake of it. Knowing the science, I have no choice but to tell the truth, and stick to my morals in the face of that truth. I won’t stand by and watch the world burn.
“I’m rebelling in love for this world and the wild. In compassion for the indigenous, local and First Nations peoples who are persecuted protecting the ecosystems we all need to survive. In rage for the environmental defenders murdered every week – my siblings in the fight for life.”
