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Titanic, Omen actor David Warner dies

Warner often played the villain in films and had a successful career in TV

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 26 Jul 2022 7:30PM

Titanic, Omen actor David Warner dies
Prolific actor David Warner played Billy Zane's villainous sidekick Spicer Lovejoy. – Twitter pic, July 26, 2022

VETERAN actor David Warner has died at the age of 80. He starred in films such as The Omen and Tron.

He died from a cancer-related illness, reported the BBC.

According to his family, they were sharing the news "with an overwhelmingly heavy heart".

In James Cameron's 1997 movie Titanic, Warner played Billy Zane's villainous sidekick Spicer Lovejoy.

In a statement to the BBC, his family said: "Over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with a 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," it read.

Warner died on Sunday at Denville Hall, a care home for those in the entertainment industry.

He was last seen onscreen as Admiral Boom in Mary Poppins Returns.

Warner was nominated for a Bafta for his lead performance in Karel Reisz's 1966 film Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment. – Twitter pic
Warner was nominated for a Bafta for his lead performance in Karel Reisz's 1966 film Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment. – Twitter pic

Warner often played the villain, such as in The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) and Time Bandits (1981).

One of his most memorable characters was photographer Keith Jennings, in 1976's The Omen, who met with an inglorious end.

He also enjoyed a successful career in TV. He played Kenneth Branagh's father in Wallander and acted in Penny Dreadful, Ripper Street, Doctor Who, and the original Twin Peaks.

Warner was also known for playing various characters in the Star Trek franchise and starred in several Doctor Who audio plays.

He was nominated for a Bafta for his lead performance in Karel Reisz's 1966 film Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment.

In 1981, he picked up an Emmy award for outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or special as Pomponius Falco in the TV miniseries Masada.

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art-trained British star was also renowned for title roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Henry VI and Hamlet early on in his career.

The actor once described his upbringing as "messy" and his family as "dysfunctional", saying that going into acting was "a means of escape".

A teacher became his mentor and encouraged his interest in drama – he said that it was a choice between acting or "being a juvenile delinquent".

He is survived by "his beloved partner Lisa Bowerman, his much-loved son Luke and daughter-in-law Sarah, his good friend Jane Spencer Prior, his first wife Harriet Evans and his many gold dust friends". – Agencies, July 26, 2022

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