Michael Byrne, an actor known for his work in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” “Braveheart” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” died June 20. He was 82.
A cause of death has not yet been revealed, the Guardian reported.
In the penultimate “Harry Potter” film, released in 2010, Byrne played an older version of Gellert Grindelwald, the character later played by Johnny Depp in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise. Byrne also had roles in other big budget films, portraying the villainous Vogel in “The Last Crusade” and violent nationalist soldier Smythe in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning “Braveheart.”
Byrne began his TV career in the 1960s with early roles in “No Hiding Place,” “Silent Playground” and “ITV Saturday Night Theatre.” The London-born performer made his film debut in “The Scarlet Blade” in 1963 after starting out on the stage with Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company, appearing in productions of “Romeo and Juliet,” “The Cherry Orchard,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Death and the Maiden at the Royal Court,” “The Double Dealer” and “The Seagull.” He acted alongside the likes of Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens.
In the ’70s, Byrne’s run of World War II films included “The Eagle Has Landed,” “A Bridge Too Far” and “Force 10 From Navarone.” Over the course of seven decades, Byrne amassed over 170 credits, including films “Gangs of New York,” “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “Diana.”
Byrne is survived by his ex-wife Carole Nimmons, whom The Guardian notes “cared for him towards the end of his life,” his daughters Tara and Bryony, and grandchildren Tom, Chloe and Jasmine.
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