Actor Michael Byrne, known for his roles in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Braveheart, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, passed away on June 20th. He passed away at the age of 82.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, the Guardian reported.
In the penultimate Harry Potter film, released in 2010, Byrne played an older version of Gellert Grindelwald, later played by Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts series. Byrne has appeared in other big-budget films, including the villain Vogel in The Last Crusade and the violent nationalist soldier Smythe in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning Braveheart.
Byrne began her television career in the 1960s with early roles in No Hiding Places, Silent Playground and ITV Saturday Night Theatre. The London-born performer got his start on stage with Laurence Olivier’s National Theater Company before making his film debut in The Scarlet Blade in 1963, and went on to appear in productions of Romeo and Juliet, The Cherry Orchard, Much Ado About Nothing, Death in the Palace, The Double Sellers and The Seagull. He co-starred with Maggie Smith and Robert Stevens.
In the ’70s, Byrne’s string of World War II films included The Eagle Has Landed, A Bridge Too Far, and Force 10 from Navarone. Over seven decades, Byrne amassed more than 170 credits, including films such as “Gangs of New York,” “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “Diana.”
Mr Byrne is survived by ex-wife Carol Nimmons, who the Guardian described as “caring for him until the end of his life”, daughters Tara and Briony, and grandchildren Tom, Chloe and Jasmine.
