In Memorium (Joe Flaherty Dies: ‘SCTV’ And ‘Freaks And Geeks’ Actor Was 82)

WyldeMan wrote:Yeah well you spend your life putting lab made chemicals in your body and your heart explodes in your fifties, that's the deal you make when you start putting toxic shit up your nose. Besides mother fucker died in his hot tub in a mid afternoon soak so he didn't exactly die hard.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:Yeah well you spend your life putting lab made chemicals in your body and your heart explodes in your fifties, that's the deal you make when you start putting toxic shit up your nose. Besides mother fucker died in his hot tub in a mid afternoon soak so he didn't exactly die hard.

I knew he had addiction problems so when I heard, I knew it had to be the reason. But we'll always remember Chandler Bing.

WyldeMan wrote:Friends fan seem to still be in disbelief but I never cared for the show and can easily accept how he died. I had a strong hate for David Schwimmer and every time I tried to give the show a chance I ended up turning it off rather quickly. The grand total number Friends episodes I've seen in my life could easily be counted on one hand and I can't recall a single detail about any of them other than that Jennifer Anniston was sporting glass cutters every time she was onscreen and I still couldn't watch that show.

WyldeMan wrote:All I really have to say about the death of Matthew Perry is that at least Keanu Reeves still walks among us.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:All I really have to say about the death of Matthew Perry is that at least Keanu Reeves still walks among us.

WyldeMan wrote:I was only quoting Matthew Perry's autobiography.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:I was only quoting Matthew Perry's autobiography.

And here I thought it was just you being you.

I forgot that he said that about my man Keanu, that was fucked up!

James McCaffrey, the voice actor of video game character Max Payne and the haunting presence on the hit FX drama Rescue Me, died Sunday of multiple myeloma cancer. He was 65.

His death was confirmed to Deadline by his manager, who noted that the actor passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends.

Born in Albany, New York, McCaffrey got his breakthrough in a recurring role on the 1991-93 TV legal drama series Civil Wars, and in 1996 was hired by Dick Wolf for the series Swift Justice. McCaffrey would become something of a protege under Wolf, appearing over the years in many of Wolf’s series including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, among others.

McCaffrey trained at the Actor’s Studio and over the course of a 35-year career would be a regular presence on episodic TV, with appearances on Viper, Sex and the City, The Big Easy, Glades, Revenge, White Collar, Madam Secretary, Bull and Suits, among many others.

Perhaps his most memorable came in 2004 with FX’s Rescue Me, in which McCaffrey played Jimmy Keefe, a New York firefighter who lost his life on 9/11 and appears as a ghost to – or a memory of – his cousin, firefighter Tommy Gavin, played by the series star Dennis Leary. McCaffrey’s Jimmy served as a sort of conscience and emotional touchstone for Leary’s troubled, grieving Tommy.

In addition to his on-screen roles, McCaffrey is well known to gamers for his voice work as the title character in the popular Max Payne game franchise, as well as for his voicing of Thomas Zane in the Alan Wake games, among others.

Actor Kevin Dillon posted a tribute on Instagram: “James McCaffrey, we were lucky to have known you. My best friend, you will be missed.”

McCaffrey is survived by wife Rochelle Bostrom and daughter Tiernan McCaffrey.

Tom Wilkinson, best known for his roles in "The Full Monty," and "Batman Begins," died suddenly at his home Saturday, his family said. The Oscar-nominated actor was 75.

"It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he died suddenly at home on December 30th. His wife and family were with him," his publicist said in a statement. "The family asks for privacy at this time."

Wilkinson was best known for playing former steel mill foreman Gerald Cooper in “The Full Monty,” a 1997 comedy about a group of unemployed steel workers who formed a male striptease act.

He also appeared in numerous other movies including “Batman Begins,” “Valkyrie,” “Michael Clayton,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

He received a best actor Academy Award nomination for “In The Bedroom” and a best supporting actor Academy Award nomination for “Michael Clayton.”

In 2005, Wilkinson was recognized for his service to drama when he was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire, according to The Associated Press.

Richard Romanus, who built his character acting career with a tough guy persona in film and television, has died at 80 at a hospital in Volos, Greece. No cause was given by his son, Robert.

Romanus had a string of memorable roles during his long career. He was Harry Canyon, the cab driver from Heavy Metal, and Richard LaPenna, the husband of Dr. Melfi, in “The Sopranos.” He was loanshark Michael Longo in Mean Streets.

His TV résumé includes Mission: Impossible, Starsky and Hutch, Hawaii Five-0, The Rockford Files, Kojak, Strike Force, and more across the ’70s.

In films, Romanus appeared in Sitting Ducks (1980), Protocol (1984), The Couch Trip (1988), Oscar (1991), Point of No Return (1993), Cops and Robbersons (1994), Nailed (2001) and The Young Black Stallion (2003).

In his later years, Romanus and his wife moved to the Greek town of Skiathos, and he wrote about the experience in Act III: A Small Island in the Aegean, published in 2011. He also authored two novels set in the country, 2011’s Chrysalis and 2014’s Matoula’s Echo.

The couple wrote and produced two Lifetime telefilms, 1998’s Giving Up the Ghost and 1999’s If You Believe (the latter a WGA nomination).

Survivors include his second wife, Oscar-nominated costume designer Anthea Sylbert (Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, Julia), whom he married in August 1985; a son, Robert; and younger brother Robert Romanus, who played Mike Damone in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Damn! I didn't see anything about Tom Wilkinson all day unless it was just announced. RIP

Cindy Morgan Dies: ‘Caddyshack’ And ‘Tron’ Actress Was 69

Actress Cindy Morgan, who memorably played a temptress in the 1980 film Caddyshack, has died in Florida, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

No cause or location was given.

Morgan played Lacey Underall in Caddyshack opposite Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield. She was the county club owner’s niece whose electric allure captured every male’s attention.

Her film resume includes Tron and Galaxis, Silent Fury, and Up Yours, among other movies.

Her TV appearances included The Love Boat, CHiPs, The Fall Guy, Falcon Crest, Matlock and more.

In total, she had 37 acting credits.

No details on survivors or memorials was immediately available.

UltimateMarvel wrote:RIP I don't know her but that's a funny GIF. Is it a comedy?

WyldeMan wrote:That's from Caddyshack! Cindy was very sexy and very funny through the whole movie which of course you haven't seen and just because it's regarded as one of the all-time comedy classics why would you?

She was also the female lead Yori in the original Tron. 

Honestly Abe, with streaming and your own private movie theater there really is no excuse to be a philistine...

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:That's from Caddyshack! Cindy was very sexy and very funny through the whole movie which of course you haven't seen and just because it's regarded as one of the all-time comedy classics why would you?

She was also the female lead Yori in the original Tron. 

Honestly Abe, with streaming and your own private movie theater there really is no excuse to be a philistine...

Sir, it says Caddyshack came out in 1980. That's before you were even born. When/how did you watch it? Was it recommended to you?

Adan Canto, the Mexican-American actor who parlayed his music career in Mexico into becoming a Hollywood leading man, died Jan. 8 after a private battle with appendiceal cancer. He was 42.

Canto most recently starred in Fox’s drama series The Cleaning Lady, playing the male lead for the first two seasons. While his health did not allow him to film when production on the upcoming Season 3 started in December, following the end of the strikes, Canto was planning to rejoin the cast later in the season. The series will pay tribute to its star with a card in the Season 3 premiere.

Born in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico in 1981 and raised in Texas, Canto left home at age 16 to pursue a career as a singer and guitarist in Mexico City. He started acting in local commercials and TV shows before being scouted for a major role in Kevin Williamson’s 2013 Fox drama series The Following.

Showcasing his versatility as an actor, he went on to star in such series as Designated Survivor, where he portrayed Vice President-elect Aaron Shore opposite Kiefer Sutherland for three seasons, Mixology and Blood & Oil. He also had a memorable turn on Narcos as real-life politician Rodrigo Lara Bonilla and did an arc on Second Chance.

For the past two years, Canto starred opposite Élodie Yung on The Cleaning Lady, playing gangster Arman Morales. Both Fox’s The Following, which marked Canto’s first U.S. acting role, and The Cleaning Lady, which was his last, were produced by Warner Bros. TV

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Adan Canto. A wonderful actor and dear friend, we were honored to have him as part of the Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment families since his U.S. debut in The Following more than a decade ago,” Fox and WBTV said in a statement. “Most recently, he lit up the screen in The Cleaning Lady with a powerful performance that showcased his artistry, range, depth and vulnerability. This is an unfathomable loss, and we grieve alongside his wife Stephanie, their children and loved ones. We will miss Adan dearly.”

In features, Canto is probably best known for playing Sunspot in X-Men: Days of Future Past and also had major roles in 2 Hearts, Halle Berry’s directorial debut Bruised and Agent Game, among others.

An emerging filmmaker, Canto directed his first short film in 2014 and his second, a provocative Western starring Theo Rossi in 2020.

“Adan had a depth of spirit that few truly knew. Those who glimpsed it were changed forever,” Canto’s reps at UTA, Entertainment360 and Viewpoint said. “He will be greatly missed by so many.”

Canto leaves behind his wife, best friend and creative partner Stephanie Ann Canto, and their two young children, Roman Alder, 3½ years of age, and Eve Josephine, 1½.

WyldeMan wrote:One because I'm a cultured Cinephile and you are a god damned philistine and two, how can you not be familiar with Caddyshack? I've probably seen over 100 movies and tv shows from the past forty years that have directly referenced it. Caddyshack is one of the most popular comedies of all-time, it was released on every movie format of the last 40 years and I've seen it many times on Netflix over the last few years. The bigger question sir is how are you the only human male over the age of 30 who doesn't know Caddyshack?

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:One because I'm a cultured Cinephile and you are a god damned philistine and two, how can you not be familiar with Caddyshack? I've probably seen over 100 movies and tv shows from the past forty years that have directly referenced it. Caddyshack is one of the most popular comedies of all-time, it was released on every movie format of the last 40 years and I've seen it many times on Netflix over the last few years. The bigger question sir is how are you the only human male over the age of 30 who doesn't know Caddyshack?

........

Jesse Jane, one of the most popular porn film actors of the early 2000s who had some success pivoting to the mainstream, was found dead by police this morning with her boyfriend at their Oklahoma residence. She was either 43 or 44.

Oklahoma City’s KOCO 5 TV channel reports that police officers were conducting a welfare check around 11 a.m. today at a home in Moore, Oklahoma. Two people were found unresponsive of suspected overdoses.

Local law enforcement officials identified the dead as Cindy Taylor – Jane’s real name – and boyfriend Brett Hasenmueller. No foul play is suspected, and substances have been sent in for lab testing, according to KOCO.

A cause of death will be determined by the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner.

Jane began her porn career in 2002 with an exclusive contract with the Digital Playground studio, where she’d remain through 2014, subsequently signing with Jules Jordan Video. She announced her retirement from the industry in 2017, and made limited porn appearances thereafter.

Beginning in 2003 and 2004, with uncredited appearances in the TV film Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding and the feature Starsky and Hutch, the Fort Worth native attempted to parlay her popularity into a more mainstream performing career. She appeared as herself in 2003 on Showtime’s reality series Family Business and in a 2005 episode of HBO’s Entourage, hosted 2006 episodes of Playboy TV’s live series Night Calls, and in 2009 appeared in Oxygen Network’s reality series The Bad Girls Club. She was interviewed in the 2009 CNBC documentary Porn: Business of Pleasure.

Information on survivors was not immediately available.

Carl Weathers, who starred as Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” films opposite Sylvester Stallone, died Thursday, his manager Matt Luber confirmed to Variety. He was 76.

Weathers also starred in 1987’s “Predator” and had a memorable role in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore.” He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his work in the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.”

He voiced Combat Carl in “Toy Story 4” and played a fictionalized version of himself in a recurring role on “Arrested Development.” His other credits include the TV series “Street Justice,” “Colony,” “The Shield,” “Chicago Justice” and “Brothers,” and the films “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Death Hunt” and “The Comebacks.”

After working with Sandler on the 1996 golf comedy “Happy Gilmore,” Weathers briefly reprised his role in “Little Nicky” and voiced a character in Sandler’s animated Hanukkah comedy “Eight Crazy Nights.”

Born Jan. 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Weathers played a variety of sports including boxing, football, soccer, wrestling and gymnastics. He played football in college at San Diego State University and helped the Aztecs win the 1969 Pasadena Bowl. While at SDSU, Weathers also pursued a degree in theatre arts, but in 1970 he signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent, and he played in eight games in the NFL as a linebacker across two seasons.

After his stint in professional football, Weathers pivoted more seriously to acting, landing small roles in Arthur Marks’ blaxploitation movies “Bucktown” and “Friday Foster,” as well as TV series including “Good Times,” “Kung Fu,” “Cannon” and “Starsky and Hutch.”

In “Predator,” Weathers starred as Colonel Al Dillon alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, who went on to become the governor of California, and Jesse Ventura, who became the Minnesota governor. In 1988, Weathers hosted “Saturday Night Live” and, many years later, he returned to the live sketch show for a spoof segment in which he announces he is running for political office on the basis that he was “the Black guy in ‘Predator.'”

When Stallone asked Weathers for permission to use footage from earlier “Rocky” films for the sixth movie in the franchise, 2006’s “Rocky Balboa,” Weathers refused and lobbied for an actual part in the film, despite his character, Apollo Creed, dying in “Rocky IV.” Stallone said no and hired a lookalike actor to shoot flashback fight sequences. The pair reconciled, and Weathers later allowed Stallone to use his likeness in the “Creed” sequel series, in which Michael B. Jordan plays Apollo Creed’s son.

In his later career, Weathers landed smaller roles in TV procedurals, and he directed episodes of them, too. He earned his first Emmy nomination in 2021 for the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” in which he played Greef Karga in nine episodes across three seasons. Weathers stepped into the director’s chair for Episodes 12 and 20 of the “Star Wars” spinoff.

Weathers is survived by his ex-wife, Mary Ann, and their two sons.

UltimateMarvel wrote:It was sad hearing about Carl. RIP

I don't know Jesse Jane but 44 is young. I hope drugs wasn't the COD.

Paul D’Amato, the actor who played the gloriously vicious Tim “Dr. Hook” McCracken opposite Paul Newman in Slap Shot, died Monday after a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain condition that is similar to Parkinson’s disease. D’Amato was 76.

The news was shared online by his longtime partner (and fellow actor) Marina Re.

D’Amato got the role in Slap Shot in part because he could hold his own on the ice. He played college hockey at Emerson and also for a team called The Reds in a Burlington, VT, league in 1975.

But D’Amato also had screen presence, going toe to toe with Newman as his character’s wild-eyed nemesis from the Syracuse Bulldogs who earned his nickname through his scalpel-like skills with a hockey stick. Newman’s Reggie Dunlop called out McCracken by name during a pregame radio interview, referring to him as the team’s “captain and chief punk.”

Of his first scene with Newman, in which he insults the screen legend’s character, D’Amato said: “I was very nervous and excited at the same time. The scene was pretty simple and straightforward, and I realized that being nervous was no excuse. So, like James Cagney would want, I planted my feet, looked him square in the eye and told him what I thought of him. … It worked out pretty well, butterflies and all.”

He recalled in a 2007 interview that Dr. Hook “was a cross between Dave Schultz [who holds the NHL single-season record for penalty minutes], Bobby Schmautz [called “the worst stickwork offender in the game” by ex-NHL player and ref Paul Stewart] and the shark in Jaws.”

D’Amato’s other notable credits include Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter and notorious Heaven’s Gate as well as F/X and Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait. He also had a bit part — his first screen role — opposite Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force.

On the small screen, he played another hockey player in The Deadliest Season and also appeared on The Six Million Dollar Man, American Playhouse, Law & Order and most recently on ABC’s The Unusuals in 2009.

Kenneth Mitchell, Star Trek: Discovery and Jericho Actor, Dead at 49

Kenneth Mitchell, the actor best known for his work in Star Trek: Discovery and Jericho, has died. He was 49.

The news of his death was announced in a post to X on his personal account. The actor had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for over five years; a GoFundMe fundraising link was shared to Mitchell’s X account on Sunday, with the actor requesting that any gifts “be directed toward ALS research or in support of his children.”

Mitchell appeared in numerous TV shows and films throughout his career, earning his first TV credit in 2001 for Leap Years. He went on to star as Eric Green, the brother of Skeet Ulrich’s Jake Green, in the CBS series Jericho from 2006 to 2008.

He was perhaps best known for playing Klingons Kol, Kol-Sha, Tenavik and Aurellio in Paramount+’s Star Trek: Discovery between 2017 and 2021. He also voiced several characters in an episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks in 2020.

He went on to appear in episodes of other series including Odyssey 5, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI: Miami, Lie to Me, Ghost Whisperer, Hawaii: Five-0, NCIS: Los Angeles, Bones, Switched at Birth, The Astronaut Wives Club, Nancy Drew and more.

On the film side, Mitchell most notably played Ralph Cox in the 2004 sports movie Miracle. His other film credits include Captain Marvel, Blood Honey and Home of the Giants, among others.

Mitchell most recently played Joe in three episodes of FX’s The Old Man in 2022.

Chris Gauthier, of Once Upon a Time and Eureka, Dead at 48

Chris Gauthier, an English-born Canadian actor whose wide variety of TV credits included Once Upon a Time (as Smee) and Eureka, died on Feb. 23, at age 48.

“We can confirm that our dear friend and client, Chris Gauthier, passed away on Friday morning, February 23, at the age of 48,” reads a statement from TriStar Appearances/Event Horizon Talent to TVLine. “As a beloved Vancouver-based character actor, Chris shared his talents with so many of us both on television and in film. His loss is felt not just by his fans but by those of us who were lucky enough to know him more personally.  On behalf of his family, we do ask for privacy during this time so that they are able to grieve properly.”

Gauthier “passed suddenly and unexpectedly following a short illness,” his manager told TVLine.

“Rest in Peace Chris! Heartbroken!” wrote Colin O’Donoghue aka Once Upon a Time‘s Hook, William Smee’s captain, on Instagram. “My love and thoughts go out to [wife] Erin and the boys! You will be missed brother! You were the real captain!!”

Added OUAT co-showrunner Adam Horowitz via X, “So sad to hear of the passing of Chris Gauthier. Such a kind, sweet, and talented person. You will be missed.”

Gauthier’s TV roles also included Supernatural (as the paranoid shapeshifter-hunting Ronald Reznick), Harper’s Island, Sanctuary, Smallville (where he had an arc as Winslow Schott aka Toyman), A Series of Unfortunate Events, Legends of Tomorrow (as Henry VIII), The CW’s Charmed reboot and, most recently, Joe Pickett (where in Season 2 he played Wyoming Fish & Game Department commish Randy Pope).

“Another good man gone too soon,” said Harper’s Island star Christopher Gorham. “Grateful to have worked with Chris and am sending love to his family and friends. Rest in peace, pal.”

Gauthier’s film credits included 40 Days and 40 Nights, Agent Cody Banks and Freddy vs. Jason.

Rusty wrote:Damn. Louis Gossett Jr died. Iron Eagle was one of my favourite movies as a kid. Rest in Peace Chappy!

Joe Flaherty, a writer and performer on the influential and beloved sketch comedy series SCTV and a series regular on Freaks and Geeks, died Monday following a brief illness. He was 82.

His death was announced by his daughter Gudrun Flaherty, who said in a press statement, “After a brief illness, he left us yesterday, and since then, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with this immense loss. Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s. His insights into the golden age of cinema didn’t just shape his professional life; they were also a source of endless fascination for me. In these last few months, as he faced his health challenges, we had the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments I will forever hold dear.”

Last month, Flaherty’s former improv group Second City organized a fundraiser to help support the actor during his illness. A message shared by his former SCTV co-star Martin Short, stated “Our beloved SCTV cast member, Joe Flaherty, is very ill. Joe is aware of the gravity of his failing health and would like to spend whatever time he has left at home rather than in a facility. We are writing to our friends because we believe SCTV meant something to you, and that would not be the case if it were not for Joe Flaherty. He was a mentor, a director, and an inspiring improviser who gave us many of the tools we are still using in the careers he helped kickstart.”

Born Joseph O’Flaherty in Pittsburgh on June 21, 1941 – he eventually dropped the “O” because the name was already taken by another Equity member – Flaherty began his comedy career at The Second City in Chicago, and appeared on the National Lampoon Radio Hour from 1973-74. He moved to Toronto to help launch a Second City troupe there, and in 1976 became a founding cast member of the Canadian sketch comedy series SCTV that would feature some of the most influential comedians of the era. In addition to Flaherty, the show starred John Candy, Harold Ramis, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas and Short.

In a series that spotlighted any number of vivid comic characters, Flaherty proved a central presence on the weekly show that was set in a fictional TV station in the equally fictitious Canadian town of Melonville. Flaherty portrayed the station’s owner-manager Guy Caballero, who used a wheelchair only to solicit respect and sympathy.

Among Flaherty’s other popular characters were Sammy Maudlin, a fawning talk show host inspired more than a little by Sammy Davis Jr.; the station’s horror movie host Count Floyd, whose Monster Chiller Horror Theater featured movies so bad — and frequently very non-horror — that the host would be forced to unconvincingly stammer, “Oooh, that’s scary, kids”; and Big Jim McBob, whose Farm Film Report (with John Candy) was a sort of Siskel & Ebert for fans of movie explosions. The segment made a catchphrase of “that blowed up real good.”

After SCTV stopped production in 1984, Flaherty appeared in such films as Johnny Dangerously, Innerspace, Who’s Harry Crumb, Back To The Future Part II, Stuart Saves His Family and Happy Gilmore.

But he would find his second signature role as an alternately angry and befuddled dad in 1999 on the short-lived cult favorite Freaks and Geeks, the Paul Feig-Judd Apatow coming-of-age drama about high school students in 1980s Detroit. Like SCTV, the series launched the careers of numerous actors, including Linda Cardellini and John Francis Daley (who played Flaherty’s kids), James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel and Busy Philipps.

Following Freaks‘ untimely cancelation after just one season, Flaherty went on to make appearances in The King of Queens, Slackers, Even Stevens, That ’70s Show, Frasier, Family Guy, and American Dad, among others.

In her statement, Gudrun Flaherty said that her father “cherished every moment spent on” SCTV, and was “so proud of its success and so proud to be part of an amazing cast.”

“Recently,” she said, “the SCTV cast reminisced, saying, ‘All of us SCTV castmates owe him a huge debt of gratitude; he was the creative anchor that kept us honest and inspired.’ It’s a testament to his indelible mark on everyone he worked with.

“Above all,” she continued, “he was a loving father. No matter the occasion, he was always there to offer a laugh or wisdom when I needed it most. His absence has left a void in my life that feels insurmountable at the moment. As I try to navigate through this grieving process, I take solace in the memories we shared and the incredible impact he had on those around him. His spirit, humor and love will be a part of me forever.”

In addition to his daughter, survivors include son Gabriel and brother (and SCTV writer) Paul Flaherty.

Adrian Schiller, who played cunning villain Aethelhelm on Netflix‘s The Last Kingdom, has passed away at the age of 60, our sister site Deadline reports.

“It is with the heaviest and saddest hearts that we announce the death of our beloved client, Adrian Schiller, on Wednesday April 3,” his agent Amanda Evans said in a statement. “He has died far too soon, and we, his family and close friends are devastated by the loss… Adrian enjoyed a varied and successful career across all media. Our deepest condolences go to his family, who ask for privacy at this most difficult of times.”

No cause of death has been made public, but the statement described Schiller’s death as “sudden and unexpected.”

Schiller had a long list of film and television roles, but the London native may be best known to American audiences as Aethelhelm, who schemed to install his grandson on the throne of England on Netflix’s historical epic The Last Kingdom. Schiller was a series regular in the show’s last three seasons, with Aethelhelm rising to become the show’s primary villain in the fifth and final season. In the series finale, a defeated Aethelhelm took his own life rather than face justice for his crimes.

Schiller also played footman Mr. Penge on PBS Masterpiece’s Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman as the titular British queen. His other TV credits included Doctor Who, Death in Paradise and Raised by Wolves. He also appeared in films such as The Danish Girl, Suffragette and Disney’s live-action reimagining of Beauty and the Beast.