The body of a British actor who
appeared in the James Bond film Casino Royale as well as the soap opera
Eastenders has been found at the foot of a cliff a week after he went
missing from a London theatre.
Paul Bhattacharjee had last been
seen leaving rehearsals at the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square,
London, on Wednesday July 10 and appeared to walk in the direction of a
nearby Tube station.
The
53-year-old was said to be in good spirits that evening but after
sending his girlfriend a text message at 9pm, no-one heard from him and
he was reported missing.
Mr Bhattacharjee's body was found at the foot of a cliff at Splash Point in Seaford, East Sussex (file picture)
Paul Bhattacharjee, who has been found dead near cliffs in East Sussex, is seen here, right, with
Crispin Bonham-Carter in a scene from the 2006 Bond movie Casino Royale
Mr Bhattacharjee, from Redbridge,
north-east London, was formally identified today and his next of kin
have been informed. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
His friends and family had made pleas
for his safe return, including his 24-year-old son Rahul
Bhattacharjee-Prashar, who told the Evening Standard the disappearance
was 'completely out of character'.
He added: 'He was doing well in his career and everything seemed to be going okay.'
Mr Bhattacharjee's agent had said he seemed 'completely fine' the last time she heard from him.
Sally Long-Innes, who works for the Independent Talent Group, said there
were 'no clues' as to why he disappeared in his last text to her.
She said: 'He seemed completely fine to me. As far as we could tell there was nothing wrong with his state of mind.
'There were no clues in the last text message at all I'm afraid.'
The actor, who also appeared in The
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, White Teeth and Dirty Pretty Things, had
been due to appear in this week's play Talk Show at the Royal Court. His
role in the play, which began last night, was recast.
He was part of the theatre's company
of 14 actors performing in the Weekly Rep series, which sees six plays
staged in six weeks, and had already appeared in two of the productions.
Colleagues had taken to Twitter to
express concern for Mr Bhattacharjee as news of his disappearance
spread.
Bend It Like Beckham actress Parminder Nagra, Sex in the City
star Kim Cattrall and Stephen Fry - who went missing for a week in 1995 -
all appealed to their followers for information about the actor.
Tributes were last night being paid to the actor with many from the theatre world taking to Twitter to express their sadness.
Director Jamie Lloyd wrote: 'Very sad
to hear about the death of Paul Bhattacharjee. He was a very fine
actor. My thoughts are with his family.'
Muzz
Khan, who appeared in Much Ado About Nothing alongside the late actor,
said: 'Rest In Peace, Paul Bhattacharjee. I can't believe you're gone,
mate.'
Playwright Duncan
Gates wrote: 'When you depart from me sorrow abides and happiness takes
his leave'. RIP Paul Paul Bhattacharjee.'
Actor Rick Warden wrote: 'Having a
bad time with the news about friend and colleague Paul Bhattacharjee's
death. An intelligent & charismatic man. Very sad.'
Mr Bhattacharjee had been due to
perform in a production by Nitin Sawhney, who described the actor as a
friend and wrote on Twitter that he was 'really worried' about his
disappearance.
He played a doctor in Casino Royale
in 2006 and was in several episodes of EastEnders as Inzamam between
2008 and 2010. Other television credits for the actor included Waking
the Dead, Spooks and The Bill.
Last year he appeared as Benedick opposite Meera Syal in an Royal Shakespeare Company production of Much Ado about Nothing.
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