Titanic actor David Warner, a versatile British actor, passed away at 80. The actor’s roles ranged from Shakespearean tragedies to sci-fi cult classics, and it was undoubtedly a big blow to Hollywood. The veteran actor’s family said he died from a cancer-related illness on Sunday at Denville Hall, a retirement home for entertainers in London.
According to the latest reports, Warner had been sick for 18 months and was battling cancer.
Award-winning English actor, David Warner turns 77 years young today!#DavidWarner appeared in numerous Drama, SciFi and Horror film and television roles that include: @StarTrek #Titanic #TheOmen #Holocaust #TimeBandits #TimeAfterTime #PortraitInEvil
— 104.2 Nile FM (@NileFM) July 29, 2018
Happy birthday David 🎂 pic.twitter.com/noDxHRjtGe
David Warner passed away on Sunday at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors. In a statement to BBC, his family said, "Over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with characteristic grace and dignity. 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. We are heartbroken."
Warner is survived by his partner Lisa Bowerman, and son Luke.
In a career spanning more than five decades, the actor is credited with many hit films including musicals. He was also known for playing Billy Zane's villainous sidekick Spicer Lovejoy in the 1997 film Titanic.
Many Hollywood stars and his co-workers shared condolences following his sad demise. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who starred with Warner in Mary Poppins Returns penned a small tribute for the late actor on social media.
So glad to have been able to express my admiration for David Warner's incredible versatility and career in our time together on set. Even talked him into doing a Random Roles interview with @NonStopPop, because my goodness, what a life and legacy. ❤️ -LMM https://t.co/iqETAVZjgP pic.twitter.com/jXdTO9B2OM
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 25, 2022
He wrote, "So glad to have been able to express my admiration for David Warner's incredible versatility and career in our time together on set. Even talked him into doing a Random Roles interview with @NonStopPop , because my goodness, what a life and legacy (sic)."
Interestingly, despite his acclaim as a stage actor, chronic stage fright never held him back and this led Warner to prefer film and TV work for many years.
Warner was nominated for a British Academy Film Award for the title role in Karel Reisz’s Swinging London tragicomedy Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, released in 1966. Later, he won an Emmy for his role as Roman politician Pomponius Falco in the 1981 TV miniseries Masada.
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