Former child actor William Chapman mauled by tiger

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 17 Oct, 17:32 · Archive

William Chapman, 24, a former child actor, was fatally attacked by an Amur tiger named Altai at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster last Saturday.

William Chapman, 24, was fatally attacked by an Amur tiger named Altai at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster last Saturday. He was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering multiple traumatic injuries.

As a child actor, Chapman appeared in the ITV production May Contain Nuts alongside Harry Potter's Shirley Henderson and in the BBC series True Stories, where he played physician and scientist Edward Jenner. He had attended Jackie Palmer Stage School in Buckinghamshire.

Marylyn Phillips, 76, his drama teacher for ten years, said Chapman was very talented and had everything going for him. She told the Daily Mail his family were lovely people and never pushy. She said: "It is just so sad when someone is young, talented, and has everything going for them. It's heartbreaking enough when they leave [the school] let alone this."

An inquest at Doncaster Coroner's Court heard Chapman had a history of mental illness and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was under the watch of adult mental health services in Doncaster, with whom his family had registered concerns before his death. Witnesses described seeing Chapman leap from a suspended bridge after getting someone to photograph him with the tiger before the attack.

How it is being reported

• Teacher says tiger attack victim had ‘everything going for him’William Chapman was fatally attacked by an Amur tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.Metro · 17 Oct, 17:15
• Fresh details of tiger attack victim William Chapman's childhood emerge - 'that's what's so sad'William Chapman's drama teacher Marylyn Phillips said his family were 'very, very nice and never pushy at all' as she paid tribute to the former child actor's talentThe Mirror · 17 Oct, 07:44

In this story: William Chapman · Marylyn Phillips · Altai · Yorkshire Wildlife Park · Doncaster

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