Star's life 'cut short'

Lucy Gordon, who lived in Oxford until she left school to pursue a career in modelling and acting, died on Wednesday just two days before her 29th birthday.

She had starred in a number of top Hollywood films including Spider-Man 3, and had recently finished filming the role of actress and singer Jane Birkin in a biopic about the late Serge Gainsbourg.

Father Richard Gordon, 60, of Woodstock Road, said he, his wife Susan, 58, and Miss Gordon’s sister Katie, 27, had been left heartbroken by her death.

He said: “The whole family is so proud of Lucy and we always have been. We loved her so much throughout her life.

“We called her Lucy because she was the light of mine, her mum Sue’s, and her sister Katie’s lives.”

Miss Gordon, a former pupil at Greycotes School, Bardwell Road, and Oxford High School, Belbroughton Road, had been passionate about acting since she was a toddler and had taken part in drama during her school days.

Mr Gordon said: “Lucy was a lovely, generous and unselfish person who always gave so much thought to other people and put them before herself. Acting was what she had always wanted to do. She had been acting since the age of two.

“Her career was just taking off and it’s a tragedy that it has been cut short so soon.”

A spokesman for the French police dealing with Miss Gordon’s death, said an autopsy had been ordered to determine the cause of death, which appeared to be suicide.

Mr Gordon said: “The death has come completely out of the blue and the entire family is devastated.

“Everything about how she died is just speculation at the minute and we want to concentrate on paying tribute to our daughter.”

Trailers from Miss Gordon’s latest film, Serge Gainsbourg (vie héroique) were presented at the Cannes film festival earlier this week.

The actress made her screen debut in 2001 and also appeared in Serendipity, which also starred John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk