David Warner, British actor who starred in 'Titanic,' 'The Omen' and 'Tron,' dies at 80
David Warner, a versatile British actor whose roles ranged from Shakespearean tragedies to sci-fi cult classics, has died. He was 80.
Warner’s family said he died from a cancer-related illness on Sunday at Denville Hall, a retirement home for entertainers in London.
"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," read a statement provided to USA TODAY by Julian Belfrage Associates, his agency. "We are heartbroken."
Warner worked on more than 100 films over the span of his 60-year career, including in "The Omen," "Titanic," "Tron" and two "Star Trek" films. The actor spent the early part of his career performing in theater, taking on roles in "Hamlet" and Henry VI in "The Wars of the Roses" for the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s, the statement said.
'Titanic' turns 20: See the stars then and now
Gregor Doran, the RSC’s artistic director emeritus, said Warner’s Hamlet, played as a tortured student, “seemed the epitome of 1960s youth, and caught the radical spirit of a turbulent age.”
Despite his acclaim as a stage actor, chronic stage fright led Warner to prefer film and TV work for many years.
He 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. He later won an Emmy for his role as Roman politician Pomponius Falco in the 1981 TV miniseries “Masada.”
He had a prolific career in both Britain and the U.S., and became beloved by sci-fi fans.
Warner returned to theater in 2001 after almost three decades to play Andrew Undershaft in a Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw’s “Major Barbara.” In 2005 he starred in Shakespeare’s “King Lear” at the Chichester Festival Theatre, and in 2007 returned to the RSC to play Shakespeare’s comic buffoon Falstaff.
Diana Kennedy dies at 99: British food writer was devoted to Mexican cuisine
Warner would have turned 81 on Friday.
His final film appearance was as Admiral Boom in the 2018 film "Mary Poppins Returns." The last project Warner worked on, according to IMDb, was in 2020 when he voiced a character in an episode of the animated TV series "Teen Titans Go!"
Warner's family said he is survived by his partner Lisa Bowerman, his son Luke, daughter-in-law Sarah, first wife Harriet Evans and close friend Jane Spencer Prior.
Contributing: Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY, and Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David Warner dies: 'Titanic,' 'The Omen,' 'Tron' actor was 80
