Heartbroken Sir Mark Rylance steps out with stunning charity boss - who has put smile back on his face 18 months after his composer wife of 40 years died from cancer

Sir Mark Rylance was left devastated at the start of last year after losing his beloved wife of nearly 40 years, composer Claire van Kampen, 71, after her brave battle with cancer.

But now, the Daily Mail can reveal the British actor, 66, appears to have found happiness again some 18 months later, stepping out with a glamorous charity boss who seems to have been supporting him through his grief.

London-born Amanda Parker, 57, who also works as an arts and culture consultant and model, was pictured accompanying the Wolf Hall star to the premiere of sci-fi film Disclosure Day last week.

The pair quietly clasped hands on the red carpet at the glitzy event in London's Leicester Square to mark the release of the upcoming Steven Spielberg movie on Friday. 

When approached by the Daily Mail, sources close to Mark and Amanda declined to comment. Representatives for Mark and Amanda have been contacted for comment.

It marked a mutual show of strength and support fitting for the pair – as both have individually suffered a series of profound personal tragedies over the years.

On the surface, Mark, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest theatre actors of his generation, appears to have experienced a life and career of pure, glittering success.

Boasting a CV full of Shakespearean leading roles, on top of a standout turn in Jez Butterworth's iconic 2009 play Jerusalem, he has several Tony and Olivier awards to his name.

He has also enjoyed success on film and TV, winning, in 2015, both an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies, and a Bafta for Best Actor as Thomas Cromwell in the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall novels.

But behind the scenes of his legendary near 50-year career, which earned him a knighthood in 2017, Mark has endured a relentless series of private personal heartaches.

His stepdaughter Nataasha van Kampen, from his late wife Claire's first marriage to architect Christoper van Kampen, died suddenly, aged only 28, in 2012.

The seemingly healthy filmmaker suffered a brain haemorrhage on a flight from New York to London – and despite the efforts of several doctors onboard, tragically could not be saved.

She left behind her sister and Mark's other stepdaughter, actress Juliet Rylance, 46, who took his surname – and it came only a year after the loss of Mark's own mother, Elizabeth, 79, too.

Mark, who pulled out of a planned role in the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony after the bereavement, spoke out a year later of the family's ongoing grief.

He told The Sunday Times: 'I think the strength of the sensations when someone very close to you dies has an effect where you can't quite see through the explosion to what was going on before.'

Ten years later, Mark then lost his younger brother, Jonathan Waters, who was aged only 60 at the time, in 2022 after he was fatally hit by a car while cycling near his home in California.

Jonathan, who was known as Jonno, suffered head injuries after the crash in the city of Oakland, California – and sadly died a day later.

He had been working in nearby Berkeley for many years as a sommelier at iconic restaurant Chez Panisse, with more than 475 beloved customers, family and friends attending his funeral.

Jonathan left behind his daughter Hazel, who was set to go to university that autumn, with well-wishers donating to a college fund in his memory, and her mother Kate Razo.

Starring in Jerusalem on the West End at the time, Mark announced in a statement he would be pulling out of three shows to attend the funeral of 'my dear brother'.

The shows were completely cancelled, as there was no understudy for his leading role as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron, with additional performances arranged to accommodate those affected.

'I hope you understand my need to grieve my beloved brother and thank you for your support at this time,' Mark wrote in his statement.

His younger sister, opera singer, novelist and stage director Susannah Waters, 71, shared a tribute to their beloved brother on Instagram at the time.

'Even meeting him a few times, people immediately felt they were his friend,' she wrote. 'He lived a brave, true real life, and affected so many people in a positive way.'

This loss was followed just three years later by the death of Mark's wife Claire, who he paid a loving tribute to when publicly announcing her passing.

In a joint statement with stepdaughter Juliet, they described Claire as 'one of the funniest and most inspiring women we have ever known'.

'We thank her for imbuing our lives with her magic, music, laughter, and love,' they added.

'Ring the bell, sound the trumpets reverie, something is done, something is beginning. One of the great wise ones has passed.'

Mark and Claire married in 1989, the same year she composed the music for the RSC production of Hamlet he was starring as the lead role in.

She later wrote original scores for Broadway productions including True West, Boeing-Boeing and La Bete, along with adaptations of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Richard III.

After studying music theory and piano at the Royal College of Music in London, Claire joined the RSC in 1986, before moving to the Royal National Theatre the following year.

She went on to serve as an artistic associate to Mark during his stint at Shakespeare's Globe, where she was later a Globe associate and senior research fellow for early modern music.

Claire was also a creative associate at London's Old Vic Theatre, as well as a Tudor music advisor and arranger for BBC TV programme Wolf Hall, which Mark starred in.

Amid such tragedy, it would be entirely conceivable to find it near impossible to continue – but with Amanda, Mark appears now to have found happiness again.

And perhaps their shared sympathies come because she has experienced an equally tragic series of losses, despite similar enormous professional success.

Amanda, who is the only sister to four brothers, all variously born in the Newham and West Ham areas of east London, married her first husband, Matthew Parker, in nearby Hackney in 2002.

She soon gave birth to two children, Harvey and Titus – and family life appeared sheer bliss, by the looks of smiling snaps shared by loved ones on social media.

But just seven years after the couple tied the knot, her beloved Matthew suddenly died, aged just 40, leaving her abruptly a single mother to two young children.

Amanda has often expressed her ongoing devastation at his untimely death on a Facebook page she created as a memorial to Matthew.

Describing him as a 'writer, family man and great bloke', she has periodically shared posts writing of her continuing upset over the years.

The most recent, from 2019, reads: 'Thank you to everyone thinking of Matt, thinking of those left behind today. He was so much fun.

'It's never going to be "OK"... but he's left a beautiful legacy in his boys.'

But in a further horrifying loss, their child Harvey, who was non-binary, then tragically took their own life just before Christmas in 2021, aged only 20.

The second-year University of York student had been to a concert by rapper Little Simz at the Brixton Academy in south London followed by Heaven nightclub in the city centre before going missing on December 17.

In an emotional appeal on BBC News at the time, Amanda described Harvey as a 'friendly, music-loving, clubbing-loving' young person.

She explained: 'He has high-functioning autism so he is really fun to be around but he may not be receiving information or making the same of it as others do.

'This makes him vulnerable in certain situations.'

After an excruciating several week search, police confirmed they had found a body in the River Thames near Embankment a couple of days into the new year.

The former Westminster pupil learned to play flute, oboe and the organ to a professional level while a member of the prestigious school's orchestra.

In a statement released after the tragedy, family members paid tribute to 'our beautiful Harvey' and thanked everyone who had contributed to rescue efforts.

'Your love and support ensured so many people knew something of the blazing, glorious person that we were lucky to have in our lives,' they said.

They pointed to a fundraising page set up by friends for donations to musicians from underrepresented backgrounds, which had at that point raised nearly £40,000.

'We want to ensure that others like Harvey are able to shine as brightly,' the family said.

These charitable efforts were soon formalised with the founding of The Harvey Parker Trust in December 2022, with Amanda as director, to support young creatives' mental health.

It was publicly launched with a charity concert at the Southbank Centre in London in April 2023, featuring a range of high-profile performers – including none other than Mark, who did a poetry reading.

He said ahead of the concert: 'I am honoured to be invited to take part in the launch of this beautiful Trust and look forward with delight to hearing all the wonderful artists who will be enchanting us.'

Mark was joined by electronic music group Clean Bandit, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who played at Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding, and saxophonist YolanDa Brown, among others.

The National Children's Orchestra and the Chineke! Orchestra, a professional group for majority black and ethnic minority musicians, both of which Harvey played for, also performed.

Amanda spoke lovingly of her child ahead of the event, telling Metro at the time Harvey 'absolutely saw vulnerability in others' and was 'passionate about the rights of others'.

'Harvey volunteered for homeless food drops,' she said. 'I remember once, at university in York, Harvey found someone who was worse for wear, freezing outside.

'It was winter and the slightly built Harvey shouldered their weight and got them inside, wrapping them in blankets.'

She continued: 'Harvey would frequently play the flute while hula-hooping and walking up and down the stairs at the same time. Surreal, classical, brilliant and bonkers, all at the same time.'

In recent years, Mark and Amanda seem to have worked together professionally on a number of occasions.

Amanda was appointed as a Trustee of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) board in 2020, bringing her into the world of the Bard which Mark was so closely involved with.

He was an associate artist with the RSC for 30 years before his resignation in 2019 over its sponsorship deal with oil company BP – and had previously served as the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, between 1995 and 2005.

Around the same time, the pair had also joined the board of directors of the charity Intermission Youth, which they are both still part of.

Mark was appointed to the organisation, which supports disadvantaged young people with mentoring and engagement work, in December 2019, with Amanda joining in August 2020.

The charity, founded by former actor turned bishop, Rob Gillion, and his wife Janine, also runs drama and film workshops for young people as Intermission Youth Theatre (IYT).

The organisation's website reads: 'Built on Christian love and principles IYT welcomes young people of all faiths and none to join this loving and caring community.'

After reading English at Oxford, Amanda started her career as an assistant producer for BBC News, before leading arts and culture public participation campaigns for BBC Orchestras, Singers, and Radio 1, 2 and 3.

With a brief stint in politics, as parliamentary assistant to former Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, she then took on a range of head of communications roles, including for music exam board ABRSM and union Directors UK.

She then founded the company Inc Arts UK in 2018, supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives in arts and culture – subsequently picking up an Olivier award for services to industry.

Her second husband, Michael, is listed as a former director, appointed in June 2020 and resigning in May 2021 – and Amanda later stepped back after Harvey's passing, citing personal reasons.

Amanda then subsequently used her expertise to advise on policy at business leadership thinktank Forward Institute and serve as visiting researcher at the Bristol Business School.

She also now works as a model for major brands including Versace, Mulberry and Lacoste and has taken to the runway at fashion weeks in Paris, London and Milan. 

Mark was born David Mark Waters in Ashford, Kent, to Thomas Waters, who was born in Peking, China, and Elizabeth Skinner, born in Manila in the Philippines.

The family moved to the USA two years later, with his father teaching English at the University School of Milwaukee, which Mark attended.

He returned to England in 1978 after graduation to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) – and soon began performing with the RSC.

By this point, he had changed his name to Mark Rylance, after the middle name of one of his grandfathers, as another actor called Mark Waters was already registered with actors' union.

His grandfather spent four years in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War – and was shot in the stomach during the 1941 Battle of Hong Kong.

He was recovering when he witnessed the St Stephen's College massacre later that year, which saw the Japanese kill, rape and mutilate more than 100 wounded Allied soldiers and nurses.

Revisiting the camp for 2019 Channel 4 documentary My Grandparents' War, which sees actor explore their family's wartime stories, Mark said: 'The horror of it is very difficult to talk about. Absolutely, absolutely horrific.'