Harry Potter star Warwick Davis is suing a London hospital alleging medical negligence following the death of his wife, Samantha.
Samantha Davis, 53, who was herself an actor, died on March 24 last year.
Warwick, aged 54, has enlisted the help of the law firm Irwin Mitchell to support his family after the passing of Samantha. Madeline Nugent, a specialist solicitor in medical negligence, is collaborating with them to delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding Samantha’s death.
Coroner Mrs Jean Harkin today said her inquest would answer questions about the circumstances around Samantha’s death.
Warwick and his 27-year-old daughter, Annabelle, were scheduled to participate in the remote proceedings that were taking place at the Inner West London Coroner’s Court.
However, the hearing was adjourned before any evidence was presented to the court as Warwick was unable to connect remotely.Â
Counsel for the Davis family, William Chapman, told the court that Warwick’s internet connection to the ‘Teams hearing’ kept ‘dropping out’.
And the barrister suggested that the hearing be adjourned to ensure that Warwick could follow the inquest and contribute fully.
Samantha Davis, shown in a picture with Warwick, met her spouse on the set of his movie ‘Willow’ in 1988. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 53 in March 2024. Warwick is now taking legal action against the hospital responsible for her care.
Warwick with his wife Samantha and children Harrison and Annabelle at the screening of Disney+ series Willow in 2022
Warwick Davis and his wife Samantha on their wedding day in 1991. They were married for more than three decades
Agreeing to an adjournment, Assistant Coroner Jean Harkin, told the court: ‘Warwick Davis most likely would like to be part of this inquest process.
‘At the next hearing I will make sure there is nothing in my diary that day…I will give it a full day when I relist [the inquest].’
Counsel for the Davis family William Chapman replied: ‘We are content with your suggestion and are grateful for it,’ adding the family would like the proceedings to be held remotely, again.
The inquest, which was adjourned to a future date ‘as quickly as possible’, is expected to hear whether the treatment Samantha received at University College London Hospital for a spinal condition contributed to her death.
She fell extremely ill with sepsis in 2019 which led to intensive care treatment. This followed operations on her spine that were undertaken at University College London Hospital.
Samantha met her husband of 33 years when she had an uncredited role in his 1988 film Willow.Â
The couple married in 1991 and had three children, Lloyd, Harrison and Annabelle, but tragically their oldest died aged just nine days after he was born.
Star Wars actor Davis paid an emotional tribute to Samantha, who he described as his ‘favourite human’, following her death last year.
The couple’s children (all pictured together) said they were ‘honoured to have received a love like hers’
During their 33-year marriage, they had three children – one of whom tragically died shortly after he was born. The couple are pictured in 1996
Warwick Davis and his wife Samantha are pictured with their two kids at the European premiere of Star Wars in December 2015
‘Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family,’ the 54-year-old said in a statement. ‘I miss her hugs.’
He described Sammy, as he called her, 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,’ Davis added.
The couple’s children, Harrison and Annabelle, said ‘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,’ they added.
Ms Davis was diagnosed with achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes dwarfism, as a child.Â
Her husband is affected by a similar condition, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. It meant he never grew taller than 3ft 6in.
After Ms Davis’ death, her husband released a heartbreaking tribute to his lifelong partner.
He said he felt like he could achieve anything with his wife by his side and that it felt like he had a ‘superpower’.
The actor and his wife lost baby son Lloyd just nine days after he was born in 1991 – the year they got marriedÂ
Warwick and Samantha Davis with their children Harrison and Annabelle at the premiere of Star Wars: the Last Jedi in California in 2017
Warwick Davis and wife Samantha at the Children’s BAFTA Awards in November 2011
Samantha Davis with her husband when he starred in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre, London, in 2013
‘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,’ Davis said in a statement given to the BBC at the time of her death.
Mr Davis said his wife’s mobility had become impaired in recent years but shared how she was determined not to let it bring her down.
She had a brush with death in 2019 when she fell ill with sepsis ahead of a family holiday.
The actor and his wife lost baby son Lloyd just nine days after he was born in 1991 – the year they got married.
Mr Davis said in 2022 that he would not wish the ‘devastating’ experience on anyone and added: ‘You never get over it.’
He and Ms Davis – who co-founded the charity Little People UK – met when Mr Davis starred as sorcerer Willow Ufgood in the 1988 film named after the character.
Ms Davis and her father Peter – who is Davis’s business partner – had minor roles as villagers.
She also had an uncredited role as a a goblin in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011, in which Davis portrayed Filius Flitwick – Hogwarts’ charms professor – for the final time.
In 1989, she had a part in BBC educational series Through the Dragon’s Eye.
Mr Davis and Mr Burroughs, 77, co-founded Willow Management in 1995 with the aim of changing the way people with dwarfism were represented on screen.
Mr Burroughs is also an actor and has appeared both on stage and in TV and film productions including The Legend of King Arthur, Hamlet, and as an Ewok in 1983 Star Wars film Return of the Jedi.
