David Warner (actor)

At the West End's Aldwych Theatre in January 1964, he again played Henry VI in the complete The Wars of the Roses history cycle (1964).

In 1963, he made his film debut as the villainous Blifil in Tom Jones,[7] and in 1965, starred as Henry VI in the BBC television version of the RSC's The Wars of the Roses cycle of Shakespeare's history plays.

A major step in his career was the leading role in Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966),[7] opposite Vanessa Redgrave, which established his reputation for playing slightly off-the-wall characters.

He also appeared as Konstantin Treplev in Sidney Lumet's 1968 adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Sea Gull and starred alongside Jason Robards and Stella Stevens as Reverend Joshua Duncan Sloane in Sam Peckinpah's The Ballad of Cable Hogue.

In horror films, he appeared in one of the stories of From Beyond the Grave, opposite Gregory Peck in The Omen (1976),[10] as the ill-fated photojournalist Keith Jennings, and the 1979 thriller Nightwing.

[10] He was also cast against type as Henry Niles in Straw Dogs (1971) and as Bob Cratchit in the 1984 telefilm A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott as Scrooge.

[10] He subsequently appeared in films such as Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989),[10] Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Avatar[10] (known as Matrix Hunter in the US), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991),[10] Titanic (the third time he appeared in a film that is about or includes reference to RMS Titanic) and Scream 2.

His less-spectacular roles included a double-role in the low-budget fantasy Quest of the Delta Knights (1993) which was eventually spoofed on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Warner also played "ambiguous nice guys" such as vampire bat exterminator Philip Payne in 1979's Nightwing;[10] and Dr. Richard Madden in 1994's Necronomicon: Book of the Dead.

[12] He also contributed voice acting to a number of video games, notably playing the villain Jon Irenicus in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Morpheus in Fallout.

In 2001, Warner returned to the stage after a nearly three-decade hiatus to play Andrew Undershaft in a Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara.

In May 2005, at the Chichester Festival Theatre Warner made a return to Shakespeare, playing the title role in Steven Pimlott's production of King Lear.

Tim Walker, reviewing the performance in The Sunday Telegraph, wrote: "Warner is physically the least imposing king I have ever seen, but his slight, gaunt body serves also to accentuate the vulnerability the part requires.

On 30 October 2005, he appeared on stage at The Old Vic theatre in London in the one-night play Night Sky alongside Christopher Eccleston, Bruno Langley, Navin Chowdhry, Saffron Burrows and David Baddiel.

[15] In February 2008, Warner was heard as the popular fictional character Hugo Rune in a new 13-part audio adaptation of Robert Rankin's The Brightonomicon released by Hokus Bloke Productions and BBC Audiobooks.

He starred alongside some high-profile names including cult science fiction actress and Superman star Sarah Douglas, Rupert Degas, The Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis, Harry Potter villain Jason Isaacs, Mark Wing-Davey and Martin Jarvis (written by Elliott Stein & Neil Gardner, and produced/directed by Neil Gardner).

[10] In 2010, writer and actor Mark Gatiss interviewed Warner about his role in The Omen (1976) for his BBC documentary series A History of Horror.

[22] Having been diagnosed with cancer 18 months prior, which he had kept private, Warner died of a cancer-related illness at Denville Hall, in Northwood, London, on 24 July 2022, aged 80.

Warner in 2008
David Warner aged 78, at German Comic Con 2019