Kate Beckinsale paid tribute to her late father Richard Beckinsale on Tuesday as she marked the 45th anniversary of his sudden death.
The actor, famed for his roles in popular shows Rising Damp and Porridge, suddenly died on March 19, 1979 at the age of just 31, leaving behind his devastated wife Judy Loe and young daughters Kate and Samantha.
Richard’s tragic death came as a shock to the young family as he died in his sleep from a heart attack, which was later revealed to be a congenital defect.
There had been no real indication of what was to come, and it was in fact Judy who was the family’s focus then, as she was in hospital recovering from an operation.
The day before his death, Richard had taken Kate – who was just five-years-old at the time – to visit her mother in hospital and had no physical complaints, simply saying he felt tired.
Kate Beckinsale paid tribute to her late father Richard Beckinsale on Tuesday with a series of throwbacks as she marked the 45th anniversary of his death (pictured with mother Judy Loe)
Richard, known for his role as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge sadly, passed away in 1979 aged just 31, when Kate was five-years-old
Richard left behind daughters Kate (left) and Samantha who he shared with his first wife Margaret. She was raised by her stepfather and did not know Richard was her father until she was 11
That evening, Richard attended a party for The Two Ronnies before returning to the family home in Sunningdale, Berks.
The last anyone heard from the rising comedy star was in a phone call he made to friends before going to bed, in which he noted he had pains in his arms and chest but made light of it.
Tragically, Richard never woke up.
While his devastated friends and loved ones struggled to come to terms with the loss, just three days later the BAFTA Awards honoured Sydney Lotterby, producer of Porridge follow up Going Straight, and Richard’s friend and co-star Ronnie Barker.
At the ceremony, Sydney was too upset to speak.
Meanwhile, Ronnie broke down in tears as he paid tribute, saying: ‘The death of my friend Richard Beckinsale has robbed me of the joy of this award but the pride of winning it still remains.’
That summer saw the release of the film version of Porridge, in which Richard was seen in his role as Lennie Godber.
He continues to be seen on TVs across the nation on reruns of his popular shows.
Yet for his daughter Kate, the memories of losing her father are too distressing to contemplate.
Of losing her father, the Hollywood actress said in 2013: ‘It was a terrible loss. It’s so weird as a five-year-old to look out in the street and see people reading the paper and crying while you’re crying and your mum is crying and your granny’s crying.
‘Even though it was the worst loss that I have experienced I was able to share it with people who genuinely, even if they didn’t know him, really seemed to love him.
‘I feel not many people are in that position – to have lost somebody and also to feel like that’s something really relevant to other people.’
Kate’s half-sister Samantha Beckinsale has also reflected on the loss in recent years.
She was not living with her father but her mother Margaret at the time. She had been only three when her parents split up.
Richard’s tragic death came as a shock to the young family as he died in his sleep from a heart attack (pictured, left, on Porridge with co-star Ronnie Barker)
In the candid post on Tuesday Kate shared a carousel of old snaps with her dad Richard and wrote: ‘Oh the day you died comes round so suddenly even when I’m expecting it’
She continued: ‘This is my first year without any father figure at all for a long long time. How I miss you. How familiar this falling through an abyss’
‘How horribly like home falling with no one to catch you feels . I hope your energies have met. I’m so grateful to have had your love. I feel it, like an echo. X,’ the actress concluded
Showing the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Richard was an actor, known best for his roles as Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp
Margaret later married businessman Keith Bradley and had three more children, sons with him, so for years Samantha believed Keith to be her biological father.
It was just 18 months before Richard’s death that Samantha came back into his life, aged 11, by which point he was remarried to Judy and they lived together with Kate.
While they were not in each other’s lives for long, the impact had a lifelong effect on Sam, who subsequently changed her surname back from Bradley to Beckinsale.
Discussing his death, Samantha told The Mirror in 2002: ‘A lot of people I know lost parents when they were young, the only difference is it’s not reported in the news.’
As for whether her father’s legacy had influence in her decision to also become an actor, Samantha mused: ‘Having a member of my family who was an actor just meant acting was an option.
‘It wasn’t an odd thing to do. Also there’s a lot of Irish in my family and I’m sure the performing comes equally from my mum’s side. No one asks me about that. They get as far as my dad and that’s it.’
Kate and Samantha met for the first time in 1996 and have not been photographed together.
Samantha, 57, was at a time the most famous Beckinsale sister, with more than 15 million viewers tuning into the Nineties ITV firefighting drama London’s Burning.
Nowadays it is Kate, 50, who is the household name, her breakout role coming in 2001 when she was cast as the romantic lead opposite Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor.
Since then she has gone on to star in a number of action movies, including 2003’s Underworld and The Aviator and Van Helsing the following year.
In contrast, their late father made his acting debut in the much-loved British soap Coronation Street in 1969 before going on to star in the Granada sitcom The Lovers and the BBC sitcom Porridge.
Samantha, 57, was at a time the most famous Beckinsale sister, with more than 15 million viewers tuning into the Nineties ITV firefighting drama London’s Burning
Nowadays it is Kate, 50, who is the household name, her breakout role coming in 2001 when she was cast as the romantic lead opposite Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor.
Kate (pictured with her parents in 1978) was sure to follow in her father’s footsteps
Kate has an ode to her dad in her Instagram bio, in a quote reads: ‘A fatherless girl thinks all things possible and nothing safe,’ by Mary Gordon
Richard left school at 16 and began working as a bus seat upholsterer but found it so non-stimulating that he once fell asleep on the job. He was consequently fired.
Following this, he worked as a pipe inspector in plumbing, but applied for a RADA scholarship and got in.
His own father, Arthur Beckinsale, recalled: ‘I told him it’s a very dicey profession. You’ll be out of work more than in and you must have a second string to your bow, even if it’s hairdressing or something like that.’
Richard married young at the age of just 18. He wed Margaret Bradley, who is Samantha’s mother, but they divorced in 1971.
The actor later met Judy and they were married in 1977 – two years prior to his death.
Richard appeared for the first time on TV in 1969, on soap Coronation Street, as a policeman. His character arrested classic character Ena Sharples.
He later starred opposite Paula Wilcox in The Lovers, earned Best TV Newcomer award in 1971 and was cast in Porridge in 1974 as prison inmate Lennie Godber.
He worked on this and Rising Damp – in which he played Alan Moore – simultaneously.
He was able to shoot the film version of Porridge and was set to star in another sitcom, Bloomers, as well as branch into more serious drama with a role in gritty movie Bloody Kids.
Kate has admitted in the past that she finds comfort in watching re-runs of Porridge and her dad’s other work.
She has an ode to her dad in her Instagram bio, in a quote reads: ‘A fatherless girl thinks all things possible and nothing safe,’ by Mary Gordon.
The mother-of-one often takes Father’s Day as an opportunity to reflect on the sudden loss of her dad, offering her support to those coping with the annual celebration without their parent.
Kate also pays tribute on the anniversary of Richard’s death, with this year no exception.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday she admitted she was preparing for her first year ‘without a father figure’ following the loss of Richard four decades ago and the recent death of her stepfather Roy Battersby.
In December, her stepfather Roy was hospitalised in Los Angeles after suffering ‘a massive stroke’ while battling two forms of cancer, which he was diagnosed with in summer 2023. He passed away a month later aged 87.
Kate’s actress mother Judy married Roy in 1997 — 18 years after Kate’s father Richard died.
Roy enjoyed his own successful career as a director, working on major British on-screen hits including Inspector Morse and Cracker. His most recent directorial credit was for a 2006 episode of A Touch Of Frost.
In the candid post, Kate shared a carousel of old snaps with her dad Richard and wrote: ‘Oh the day you died comes round so suddenly even when I’m expecting it.’
She continued: ‘This is my first year without any father figure at all for a long long time. How I miss you. How familiar this falling through an abyss.
‘How horribly like home falling with no one to catch you feels . I hope your energies have met. I’m so grateful to have had your love. I feel it, like an echo. X’
Kate’s actress mother Judy Loe married Roy in 1997, 18 years after Kate’s father died and he became her loving stepfather (pictured with Roy in 1986)
In December, Roy was hospitalised in Los Angeles after suffering ‘a massive stroke’ while battling two forms of cancer. He passed away a month later aged 87 (pictured 2021)
In another blow to befall the family, Kate has been in hospital herself in recent days but has not disclosed the reason for her hospitalisation
Kate’s mother Judy has been fighting her own private health battle.
The 76-year-old was diagnosed with a longstanding illness six years ago — something Kate has alluded to in several emotional Instagram posts over the past year.
The Underworld actress flew Judy and Roy out to the US from their home in the UK so she could care for them full-time at her Los Angeles home.
‘Kate has been caring for her parents, who both have serious illnesses, for most of the year,’ a source exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com late last year. ‘She brought them to her home in LA and has made looking after them her number one priority.’
In another blow to befall the family, Kate has been in hospital herself in recent days but has not disclosed the reason for her hospitalisation.
