Warwick Davis, one of Cambridgeshire’s most loved actors, has revealed that his wife, Samantha, has died at the age of 53. The couple lived near Peterborough and married in 1991, three years after meeting on the set of the film Willow.
In a statement, the Star Wars actor said: “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family.” She died on March 24.
Mrs Davis was also an actor, working alongside her husband on the final Harry Potter film in 2010 in which she played a goblin.
Warwick described his wife as his “most trusted confidante and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career”.
“She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life she had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes.
“Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3.”
In the statement the couple’s children, Harrison, and Annabelle, also paid tribute to their mother saying, “her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives”.
“Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers.”
Davis was born with a rare condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), where the bone endings fail to form. It meant he never grew taller than 3ft 6in.
His wife had a different form of dwarfism called achondroplasia.
Warwick and his wife also co-founded Little People UK in January 2012 to offer friendship and support to people with dwarfism, their families, and friends, and help build a positive future for those individuals.
Since its inception, Little People UK has become a registered charity and an essential resource for the social, medical, and financial needs of the little people community in the UK.
In 2018 Samantha received the Points of Light award from Prime Minister Theresa May, an award which recognises outstanding individual volunteers who are making a difference in their community.
At the time Samantha was chair of Little People UK.
The Prime Minister told her: “You should be enormously proud of the important work you have done to create the ‘Little People UK’ charity, raising awareness of people with dwarfism, and celebrating their contribution to society.
“You have built a vital resource to connect people with support and advice where needed and champion better knowledge amongst medics, educators and wider society.”
Shailesh Vara, MP for NW Cambridgeshire, said at the time: “This award is thoroughly deserved, and I am delighted that Samantha’s efforts have been recognised in this way.
After receiving her award, Samantha said: “I am passionate about the work I do for ‘Little People UK’, supporting individuals and families affected by dwarfism.
“For me, seeing the difference the charity is making to people’s lives is reward enough but my Points of Light award from the Prime Minister is a wonderful honour, one that I proudly accept on behalf of the Little People community.”
