Claire Van Kampen dead aged 71: Wife of Oscar-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance dies on his birthday after cancer battle SIR Mark Rylance's wife Claire Van Kampen has died aged 71.
Van Kampen also wrote the play Farinelli And The King which saw Sir Mark star as King Philippe V of Spain and was nominated for several Olivier Awards including best new play, and a number of Tony Awards.
Van Kampen was a concert pianist, composer, playwright, theatre director and worked in various roles at Shakespeare’s Globe for around 20 years.
Her theatre credits include composing the music for the 1989 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet starring Sir Mark, whom she married that same year.
The director and composer trained at the Royal College of Music in London where she studied music theory and piano, specialising in the performance of 20th century music.