'Nanny Mcphee' Star Raphaël Coleman Dies: 4 Things You May Not Have Known About Him

“Nanny Mcphee” actor Raphael Coleman has died at the age of 25.

The news comes from his stepfather, Carsten Jensen. The Danish author and columnist shared details of the loss with a wordy Facebook post on Feb. 9.

In part, he wrote:

“I guess there's nothing that makes you see death as unfair and meaningless as when a young person dies. It's life itself that's sabotaged. It just happened to my wife, Liz, whose youngest son, Raph of only 25, died last Friday. He collapsed without prior health problems in the middle of a trip and could not be restored. I got to know Raph when he was six years old, and we were so close.”

What many may not know is that Coleman’s career extended far beyond his role as Eric in “Nanny Mcphee.” Here are four things we know about the childhood star:

He Was A Lot Like Eric

Coleman and his character Eric shared a passion for science. In “Nanny Mcphee,” Coleman played a boy whose interests seemed to parallel those of his future self.

“He was a child actor in the popular British Comedy Nanny Mcphee, where he played himself with great talent, a little redhead boy who was always mixing explosive chemical ingredients,” Jensen wrote of his late stepson.

According to Jensen, when Coleman turned 18, he began his solo exploration of the world. Following his departure, “he became a biologist, suited to a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, spent a year in Costa Rica's jungle and six months in Indonesia, where he qualified for a certificate as a diver.”

He Has Other Film Credits:

Coleman’s acting career didn’t stop after his "Nanny Mcphee" role. The star also appeared in a thriller, "The Fourth Kind," and a horror film, "It's Alive." Both films were released in 2009.

Coleman also starred in "Edward's Turmoil,” a short film where he played the grandson of an old man who torments him with curse words.

Jensen noted in his post that his stepson was a successful actor, but “he wanted to be a scientist, not to blow up something, as his figure in Nanny Mcphee, but to save the planet.”

He Was A Climate Activist:

The 25-year-old star was a major advocate for the environment. Coleman included the phrase “Climate Activism” in his Instagram biography along with “wildlife,” “adventure,” and “ecology.” He was also the founder of an organization called The Wild Work, a defender-of-earth organization centered on “celebrating nature and those who protect and restore it.”

According to Jensen, Coleman, also known as Iggy Fox, was "one of the first and most active members" of Extinction Rebellion, a British climate change activism group.

The group wrote a statement honoring Coleman on their website :

“James ‘Iggy’ Fox died on 6 February. He was 25, had given up a career in science to join XR and fought hard for the cause, especially for Indigenous rights. Iggy was a burning bright soul and he will be deeply missed by us all.”

He Was Arrested Several Times :

The late scientist’s passion for change led him to have a few run-ins with law enforcement. Jensen detailed those experiences in his post about Coleman’s death.

“Under the name Iggy Fox, he controlled [Exhibition Rebellion's] use of social media, spoke at demonstrations, and was arrested again and again,” he recalled. “By April, he should have been in court accused of painting the Brazilian Embassy with red when the amazon jungle was standing in flames. He didn't want a lawyer, but he wrote himself on his defense court when he died.”

Furthermore, Jensen revealed how Coleman was able to smile in the midst of being arrested.

“There's a video of the [Brazilian Embassy] arrest,” he explained. “Two giant cops are taking Raph away with serious faces. Raph's smiling. There is an inequality over his smile, no cheap triumph, just a knowledge that he is doing the right thing. It's this smile that's the gift for us. There is an expectation in the faces of young people, a sun in their eyes, a vital idealism that we must not betray. That's all this Raph was.”