Remembering Lucy Gordon: How her accomplished career from 'Perfume' to 'Spider-Man 3' ended in tragic suicide
The 28-year-old British actress, popular for essaying the role of reporter Jennifer Dugan in 'Spider-Man 3' had a bright career ahead of her when she decided to end her own life in 2009. Before committing suicide by hanging herself, Lucy Gordon wrote two letters — one with her last wishes regarding her estate and the other addressed to her parents.
Although the postmortem report and her father Richard Gordon both clarified that there was no indication of her death being anything but suicide, one couldn't help but wonder what made a successful artist at the peak of her career so distraught that she decided to put an end to her existence. At the time of her death, she was staying with her cinematographer boyfriend Jerome Almeras in their Paris apartment. Speculations suggested that the pair had indulged in a tiff the night before her death on May 20.
According to Daily Mail, Almeras woke up to the horrific incident and immediately rushed out of their two-bedroom apartment for help, but unfortunately, Gordon has breathed her last before help could arrive. "Neighbors said Mr Almeras told them Miss Gordon had been deeply affected by the recent suicide of a friend in Britain. Some described hearing the row between the couple on Tuesday night," stated a Daily Mail report.
Gordon and Almeras had even worked together on a comedy film which was in the post-production stages at the time of her demise. Remembering her nearly eleven years after her passing, it is rather sad to see how Hollywood lost a star who always had a lot to offer, thanks to her passion for acting. Gordon had a fascination with the art from an early age. Her father noted, “She has been acting since the age of two, which was really as soon as she could walk, Her career had just been taking off and it's a tragedy that it had been cut short so soon."
She found fame at an early age much before entering the world of cinema. She was still in school at Oxford with braces on her teeth when a talented manager first spotted her. In no time, she became the face of the Cover Girl in 1997 and soon after moved into acting. She made her debut as Sarah in her 2001 film 'Perfume' and next starred opposite late actor Heath Ledger in their film 'The Four Feathers'.
However, her role as Jennifer Dugan in 2007's 'Spider-Man 3' became the most notable one. She was last featured in Universal Picture's biopic 'Vie Heroique' based on singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Unfortunately, the film saw the light of day only following her death. The late actress was lauded for her last role as Jane Birkin. Director Joann Sfar and producers said that the film owes "a lot to the generosity, gentleness and immense talent of Lucy Gordon."
Gordon moved to Paris with her boyfriend to master her role of Jane Birkin, which she spent many weeks working on. It is unknown to date if her intentions for committing suicide were driven by professional or personal reasons.