British actor Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95, his family have said in a statement.
He appeared in films such as White Mischief, on TV playing CS Lewis in Shadowlands and in many stage productions including as Juan Perón in Evita.
He also appeared in the Hunt for Red October alongside Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, as well as the 1979 television adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
The actor died “peacefully” and was “surrounded by family”, according to a statement given to the PA news agency.
It added: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
Ackland was also a “beloved father” and had been married to his wife, Rosemary, for 51 years before she died from motor neurone disease in 2002.
The actor received a CBE for services to drama in 2001. On stage he appeared alongside Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench and Tom Courtenay.
Ackland starred in composer Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music at the Adelphi theatre in 1975, in which he played Fredrik Egerman, a middle-aged lawyer married to a young wife but attracted to the worldly thespian Desiree Armfeldt.
He was later cast as Argentinian president Perón in the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical Evita three years later, alongside Elaine Paige.
Away from the stage, the Bafta-nominated actor starred alongside Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance in director Michael Radford’s 1987 film White Mischief.
Ackland played Jock Delves Broughton, who was tried for the murder of Lord Erroll in Kenya in 1941. He received a Bafta nomination for his portrayal.
Another renowned performance came in a TV play by Michael Frayn, First and Last (1989), in which he played a retired man who walks from Land’s End to John o’Groats.
Ackland’s final screen appearance came in 2014 when he played Rufus in Decline of an Empire, which was also one of the last acting credits for Peter O’Toole.
Born Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland in North Kensington, London, in 1928, he had seven children and 34 grandchildren.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
