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David Warner, an actor known for his roles in Titanic and Tron, has died. He was 80.
Warner’s death was reported by the BBC, who shared that he died on Sunday (July 24) at a care home due to a “cancer-related illness.” The actor’s family said they were announcing his death “with an overwhelmingly heavy heart.”
“Over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with a characteristic grace and dignity,” his family said in a statement shared with the BBC. “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 was a prolific film and TV actor whose career spanned decades, beginning in the 1960s. He was also a stage actor, and was especially praised for his role as Hamlet, which he played in 1965 at age 24.
Warner said he viewed acting as a form of “escape” from his “messy” and “dysfunctional” childhood, per the BBC, and credited a teacher of his for encouraging his acting career.
While Warner was widely known for his role as Spicer Lovejoy in Titanic and Ed Dillinger in Tron, he also appeared in films like Scream 2, The Thirty Nine Steps, In the Mouth of Madness and Planet of the Apes, in shows including Twin Peaks, Doctor Who, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Penny Dreadful.
Warner continued to act up until recent years, booking roles as late as 2020. His final credits include a 2018 stint as Professor Cavanaugh on The Alienist, plus the role of Admiral Boom in Mary Poppins Returns and The Lobe in a 2020 episode of Teen Titans Go!.
Warner 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,” per the BBC.
