British actor Paul Bhattacharjee found dead

ESTEEMED ACTOR. Bhattacharjee was said to be in good spirits when he was last seen. Screen grab from Royal Shakespeare Company YouTube

LONDON, UK - British police said they found the body of actor Paul Bhattacharjee, who had been missing a week ago.

The highly regarded stage actor had also performed in television and cinema, including the British soap "EastEnders" and the James Bond film "Casino Royale."

Bhattacharjee, 53, was last seen leaving rehearsals at the Royal Court Theatre. He had also sent a text to his girlfriend but that was the last heard from him.

Friends and admirers had appealed for help in locating Bhattacharjee. Stephen Fry, Kim Cattrall of "Sex and the City" and Parminder Nagra of "Bend It Like Beckham" took to Twitter to appeal for support.

Bhattacharjee's body was recovered on Wednesday morning, July 17, at Splash Point in Seaford in East Sussex. Police said they were not treating his death as suspicious.

There has since been an outpouring of tributes in social media, many from Bhattacharjee's associates in theater.

Watch Paul Bhattacharjee in 'Much Ado About Nothing' here:

- Rappler.com