William Chapman, the man mauled to death by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, was a former child actor who appeared in shows on both the BBC and ITV, his proud mum has revealed. Chapman, in his mid-20s, was named as the victim of the attack on Saturday.
Acting career from a young age
Chapman featured in the ITV production May Contain Nuts alongside Shirley Henderson, known for playing Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films, and played Edward Jenner as a young boy in the BBC series True Stories. An old blog post written by his mum, over 12 years ago, described him as "passionate about acting and drama" and noted he attended The Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe from the age of four.
The drama school posted a tribute on Facebook after Chapman was identified as the victim. The tribute said: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our former student, William Chapman. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with William’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time."
Mum's blog details early auditions
His mum's blog detailed an audition he attended in London for May Contain Nuts at age five, writing he was "unburdened by the nerves he can sometimes suffer from these days" and that "he seemed to relax and thoroughly enjoy himself." She also noted his work as an extra on Pan, a prequel to the Peter Pan story starring Hugh Jackman, as a "wonderful experience for him."
The blog included an extract written by William himself, describing sheltering from pirates under ship's floorboards and meeting Hugh Jackman. It read: "Once on set we were sheltering from the pirates under the ship's floorboards and we had to be terrified! Our chief gets shot by Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman), so remember to look out for that scene if you watch the movie."
Family tribute
His mum wrote of being "a proud mum" who couldn't resist "showing off his efforts as the young Edward Jenner for BBC Learning." In a statement on Tuesday evening, William's family paid tribute to their "amazing" and "bright" son, saying he suffered from "significant mental illness" over a number of years and was given "strong medication."
The statement said: "William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved - and William loved them back. The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened." It added: "The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their upmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did."
