David Warner

Acting legend David Warner passed away over the weekend, confirmed by a statement to the press from his family.

His talents and presence will be missed dearly, and we here at CinemaBlend would like to extend our deepest condolences to David Warner’s friends and family, as they navigate this period of grief and reflection. As a matter of fact, even some of his villains were pretty funny. Though the actor would continue to dabble in both, as well as TV work, throughout his storied career.

LONDON (AP) — David Warner, a versatile British actor whose roles ranged from Shakespearean tragedies to sci-fi cult classics, has died. He was 80.

He later won an Emmy for his role as Roman politician Pomponius Falco in the 1981 TV miniseries “Masada.” He had a prolific career on film and TV in both Britain and the United States, and became beloved of sci-fi fans for roles in Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits,” computer movie “Tron,” Tim Burton’s remake of “Planet of the Apes,” and the “Star Trek” franchise, where he made several appearances in different roles. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Warner became a young star of the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing roles including King Henry VI and King Richard II. His 1965 performance in the title role of “Hamlet” for the company, directed by Peter Hall, was considered one of the finest of his generation.

Stage and screen actor hailed for his 1965 Hamlet at the RSC who went on to have a distinguished film and TV career.

Accepting a part in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1992), he said: “Now, at last, I can look my daughter’s friends in the face. He donned prosthetics for Tim Burton’s mediocre reboot of Planet of the Apes (2001), joined in with the silliness of The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse (2005) and had recurring roles as a retired police officer with Alzheimer’s in the powerful BBC series Conviction (2004) and as the father of the popular Swedish detective played by Kenneth Branagh in Wallander (2008-15). He also made his stage comeback in New York in Major Barbara, in 2001, and in London in The Feast of Snails the following year, as well as playing King Lear in Chichester in 2005. He worked with Peckinpah once more, on the second world war drama Cross of Iron (1977). By that time, Warner had retreated from the theatre after suffering stage fright in 1972 during productions of I, Claudius and David Hare’s The Great Exhibition; he would not return for another 30 years. He played Jack the Ripper in Time After Time (1979), Evil in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits (1981) and a computerised tyrant in Disney’s Tron (1982), for which he had only one stipulation for the studio: “There’s to be no doll of my character on the market. After playing Konstantin in Sidney Lumet’s film of The Seagull (1968), he starred in The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), the first of three movies for Sam Peckinpah. That year, Warner broke both his feet after falling from a balcony in Rome. The mysterious circumstances of the accident gave rise to rumours of drug use. Warner was then surprised by Hall’s invitation to play Hamlet. “I’m really a character actor, an old man actor,” he said, though he was only 24 at the time. I don’t want my child having a plastic baddie as a daddy.” A younger generation got the chance to boo him as a dastardly valet in the smash-hit Titanic (1997). He next landed the title role in Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment as a daydreamer descending into apparent insanity. “There was no theatrical tradition but plenty of histrionics,” he remarked of them. Fame and acclaim interested him not; it was said that he read all his reviews for Hamlet but kept only the bad ones. “David’s gentleness and passivity chimed absolutely with flower power and all that,” noted Hall. “He was wonderful.” It would be misleading to suggest that the actor David Warner, who has died aged 80, struggled to recapture the success he found early on in his career.

Actor David Warner, who portrayed Spicer Lovejoy in James Cameron's Titanic, died on July 24 at the age of 80. Read his family's tribute below.

"He will be missed hugely by us, his family and friends, and remembered as a kind-hearted, generous and compassionate man, partner and father, whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over the years. "Over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with a characteristic grace and dignity," his family said in a statement. After news of Warner's death emerged on July 25, the show shared a tribute to the actor on

David Warner, who recently starred in Mary Poppins Returns, dies from a cancer-related illness.

The actor once described his upbringing as "messy" and his family as "dysfunctional", explaining that going into acting was "a means of escape". Warner said he had a teacher who became his mentor and encouraged his interest in drama, adding that it was a choice between acting or "being a juvenile delinquent". We are heartbroken," it continued. "A tortured student, in his long orange scarf, David seemed the epitome of 1960s youth, and caught the radical spirit of a turbulent age. He went on to win an Emmy award in 1981 for outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or special for his portrayal of Pomponius Falco in the television miniseries Masada. "Over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with a characteristic grace and dignity," his family said in a statement given to the BBC.

Warner, who was also in "The Omen" and "Mary Poppins Returns," died from a cancer-related illness, his family said.

He also mentioned his "utmost respect for the actors in the turtle suits." In Disney's landmark sci-fi flick "Tron," he played a power-hungry executive who passed off Jeff Bridges' ideas as his own. Despite his prolific career, Warner often regarded his legacy with a lightheartedness. His was a prolific career that spanned more than 50 years, from horror classics to Oscar winners; from beloved animated series to a Disney musical. Though he often played Shakespearean heroes onstage, in films, he was often cast as the antagonist. But that's show biz ... and, you know, I think I've still done okay."

David Warner, the Emmy-winning actor with over 200 acting credits to his name, has died in England at 80.

Warner also voiced the Unbound Doctor in the BBC science-fiction audio series “Doctor Who,” first appearing in “Doctor Who Unbound” and returning for “The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield.” He also voiced Professor Boston Schooner in the “New Eighth Doctor Adventure, Deimos,” and appeared on screen for the first and only time as Professor Grisenko in the episode “Cold War.” Many will also recognize Warner for his species-shifting roles in “Star Trek” — the actor first played St. John Talbot in “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” Klingon Chancellor Gorkon in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” and Cardassian Gul Madred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” During his career, Warner embraced the role of the villain, acting as mischievous valet Spicer Lovejoy in “Titanic” and playing Jack the Ripper in 1979’s “Time After Time.” In 1981, he played Pomponius Falco in the fictionalized, historical TV miniseries “Masada,” which won him an Emmy for supporting actor in a miniseries or special.

David Warner, a versatile British actor whose roles ranged from Shakespearean tragedies to sci-fi cult classics, has died. He was 80.

He later won an Emmy for his role as Roman politician Pomponius Falco in the 1981 TV miniseries “Masada.” Gregor Doran, the RSC’s artistic director emeritus, said Warner’s Hamlet, played as a tortured student, “seemed the epitome of 1960’s youth, and caught the radical spirit of a turbulent age.” Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Warner became a young star of the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing roles including King Henry VI and King Richard II. His 1965 performance in the title role of “Hamlet” for the company, directed by Peter Hall, was considered one of the finest of his generation.

He seemed destined for a major stage career but by the early 1970s was focused on film and TV. His credits included “TRON,” “Titanic” and hundreds more.

He had recurring roles in the series “Twin Peaks” in 1991 and “Wallander” and “Ripper Street” in this century, among others. It is said to have included one of Mr. Dylan’s earliest performances of “Blowin’ in the Wind.” “You see, I’m not a man of the theater,” he told The Times in 2001. His résumé included moderately prestigious roles — he won an Emmy Award for his performance in the 1981 mini-series “Masada,” about the Roman Empire’s siege of the Masada citadel in Israel — but also a stint as a Klingon chancellor in the “Star Trek” franchise. Instead, while Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi and Mr. Holm had become towering figures of the theater, Mr. Warner by that time had become known for seemingly never encountering a film or TV role he wouldn’t take. Some 35 years later, Emily Young, who directed him in the 2003 drama “Kiss of Life,” said basically the opposite. He had stopped doing stage work, he said, in part because of anxiety about performing live. “It was the young people’s Hamlet. David’s gentleness and passivity jibed absolutely with flower power and all that. In his first full decade in film and TV, the 1970s, he gathered more than two dozen credits; in the 1990s, more than 80. The production ran in repertory for two years. One fan was Mark Gardner of The Sunday Mercury of Birmingham, England. “So getting the girl is something that has never happened to me.

Warner died from an illness related to his cancer diagnosis.

His resume dates back roughly 60 years and features hundreds of credits for popular television series, films, and West End stage productions, plus a handful of prestigious accolades including the Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries. "He will be missed hugely by us, his family and friends, and remembered as a kind-hearted, generous and compassionate man, partner and father, whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over the years. He died on Sunday at Denville Hall, a retirement and care home in London where a number of British actors and entertainment industry figures have stayed.

The veteran British actor had a star-making turn playing Hamlet on stage at 24 and racked up more than 200 credits, including an array of villainous roles.

To his family, he was a loving husband and father. His childhood was like “wading through glue and treacle,” Warner explained during one interview. The range of his roles was as broad as his list of credits.