Warwick David paid a heartfelt tribute to his wife Samantha on stage at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday night, leaving viewers and the audience moved to tears. The film star, who met Warwick when he was only 17 years old, died aged 53 in March 2024. Warwick announced her death in a heartfelt tribute. He said: "Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs." He went on to describe his late spouse as his "most trusted confidant 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," he added in the statement shared with the BBC. Samantha and Warwick's children Harrison and Annabelle also paid tribute, saying their late mother's "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," Harrison and Annabelle added. "With her by my side, I was sure I could achieve anything, it was like having a super-power," Warwick continued with his tribute. "Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3. She was passionate about helping people, without judgment. She had time for everyone and a genuine listening ear.".
It was previously reported that Warwick was the only trustee in his actor wife's will. According to documents seen by The Sun, her estate was worth £536,830 when she died. It was reported that her final will was signed in 1998 and went unchanged for the remainder of her life. The Mirror have reached out to his reps for comment. Samantha, who was born on January 30, 1971, as Samantha D. Burroughs, had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism. She was known for her roles in Through the Dragon's Eye, ShortFellas and Honky Sausages and even had an uncredited role alongside her husband in 1988 movie Willow.
It was on the set of Willow that Samantha and Warwick first met as teenagers. Warwick was just 17 and already a star from his role as Ewok Wicket in Star Wars : Return of the Jedi. Samantha, then 16, was the daughter of Peter Burroughs, a co-star in Willow, where Warwick landed the lead role opposite Val Kilmer. Their love story began on set, where Samantha was an extra, leading to four years of dating before they married in 1991.
On Sunday night Warwick dedicated his Bafta film fellowship award to his late wife with an emotional tribute. He received Bafta’s highest honour on Sunday in Royal Festival Hall, London for his performing and advocacy work.On accepting his award Davis said: “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’ve been in Star Wars.” He added that “life has been pretty tough” since losing his wife Samantha aged 53 last March.
“She was always so supportive of my career, encouraging me to grab every opportunity with both hands,” he said. "Since then life has been pretty tough for me. Thanks to the support of our wonderful children I’ve been able to continue working and engaging in life.”Davis then broke down in tears, while thanking British actor Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series for “helping him to laugh and love again”.“To anyone out there dreaming of telling their story or creating something meaningful, go for it, the world needs your vision,” he added.
Davis was presented the award by his fellow Harry Potter film series star, Tom Felton. Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, paid tribute to the actor, recalling that he played professor Filius Flitwick, and helped him pronounce the spell Wingardium Leviosa.He added that he made “making it feel like fun, not work”, and inspired him, saying “in a world where you can be anything, be yourself”. A film was shown of his collaborators including Star Wars stars Mark Hamill and George Lucas, and Willow director Ron Howard, along with his two children.“He’s one of the hardest working men in showbiz,” Hamill said.Speaking to journalists afterwards in the Winners Room, Davis hinted that he would not rule out starring in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. “For the series who knows what that’s going to be in reality,” he said. "It will be lovely to have some legacy actors in there. I would never say never. I love working.”Davis, who was born with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare bone disorder that results in dwarfism, said he hopes his award is also for his work as an actor as well as his activism.“If I can have a sneaky bit of this Bafta for my performance work as well my advocacy, I’d be delighted,” he said.Before becoming one of Britain’s most in-demand actors, Davis got his first break playing a teddy bear-like creature, an Ewok in 1983’s Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi at the age of just 11.
