Lord Of The Rings star Sir Ian Holm has died aged 88 following a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The award-winning actor passed away in hospital surrounded by his family and was today remembered as ‘charming, kind and ferociously talented’.
He leaves behind his wife, the artist Sophie de Stempel, and five children from previous marriages.
Sir Ian famously played Bilbo Baggins in the hit fantasy trilogy and revived the role for the later Hobbit film series.
But his career spanned both screen and stage, where he notably portrayed King Lear in 1998 for which he bagged a Tony.
His agent said today: ‘It is with great sadness we can confirm that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88.
‘He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer. His illness was Parkinson’s related.
‘He was a genius of stage and screen, winning multiple awards and loved by directors, audiences and his colleagues alike.
‘His sparkling wit always accompanied a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely’.
Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian Holm has died aged 88 following a battle with Parkinson’s disease (pictured in April 2019 in Mayfair)
Sir Ian famously played Bilbo Baggins in the hit trilogy and revived the role for the later Hobbit film series
Sir Ian Holm and his wife Sophie de Stempel attend the Newport Beach Film Festival in January this year
As well as his role in Lord Of The Rings, Sir Ian is remembered fondly across generations as Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element, android double agent Ash in Alien and Harold Abrahams’ running coach Sam Mussabini in Chariots Of Fire.
Widely considered one of the greatest British actors, Sir Ian was a favourite among critics, the public and his fellow stars.
Tributes from the acting community poured in this afternoon following the announcement of his death.
Eastenders actor Nitin Ganatra tweeted: ‘Oh what sad sad news. One of the best actors in the world ever, one of my favourite all time actors ever, one of the finest of people ever… has passed. God this is sad. RIP.’
Shaun Of The Dead director Edgar Wright wrote: ‘RIP Ian Holm, a genius actor who brought considerable presence to parts funny, heartbreaking & terrifying.
‘Thanks for Bilbo, Napoleon (twice), Sweet Hereafter, Big Night, Brazil and, of course the iconic Ash.’
Sir Ian (pictured with his third wife Penelope Wilton) was knighted at Buckingham Palace in 1998 for services to acting
His presence was coveted by directors, and he worked alongside Martin Scorsese, Stanley Tucci, David Cronenberg and Woody Allen to name just a few.
Across more than 100 roles in films, television and on stage, he secured a Laurence Olivier award, a Tony and a Bafta, and was a member of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company.
Sir Ian was married four times, most recently to Sophie de Stempel, a protegee and life model of Lucian Freud, and had five children.
His various dalliances led him to be dubbed the ‘Lord of the Flings’ by the tabloid press.
Sir Ian was born in 1931 in a psychiatric hospital in Goodmayes, Essex, where his father was superintendent, and did pioneering research into electric shock therapy.
Inspired by seeing Les Miserables as a boy, he secured a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1949 before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.
However, his stage career was cut short after he developed acute stage fright during a production of The Iceman Cometh in 1976.
Tributes from the acting community poured in this afternoon following the announcement of his death
He later described the condition as ‘The actor’s industrial disease,’ and returned to the stage on only a handful of occasions, including his acclaimed portrayal of King Lear at the National Theatre in 1998.
In June that year, he was knighted for services to entertainment. He said only: ‘I’m delighted.’
Sir Ian’s turn as Bilbo Baggins in The Lord Of The Rings between 2001 and 2003, and then The Hobbit, transformed him from revered actor into household name.
In an unlikely twist, some two decades earlier he had played Frodo Baggins, Bilbo’s cousin and heir, in a BBC radio adaptation of the JRR Tolkien books.
Sir Ian said in a 2004 interview with the Independent that he was ‘completely amazed by the reaction’ to the films.
He added: ‘I get a lot of fan mail addressed to Bilbo and sometimes Sir Bilbo – it’s hardly ever addressed to Ian Holm, in fact.
‘My business manager drafts the replies, and then I pop into the office and sign them ‘Bilbo’ but, of course, it hasn’t changed my life. Nothing could possibly change my life.’
In 2002, he revealed he was being treated for prostate cancer and had begun treatment, including with hormones, in the UK and the US.
His work became more sparse as he passed his 70th birthday.
He voiced a diminutive, ruthless chef in Pixar’s Ratatouille, played Ben-Gurion in O Jerusalem and reprised Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.
In one of his final public appearances, a frail Sir Ian attended an event organised by the Newport Beach Film Festival at London’s Langham Hotel in a wheelchair.
He was honoured with an icon award, celebrating his six-decade contribution to the arts, and his family delivered a speech in his stead.