Star Trek, Titanic and The Omen star David Warner dies age 80: Who was the British actor, what films did he star in, and what did he die from?

Since making his professional stage debut in a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the star hadbecome a well-known face on both the small and the big screen.

Well known to fans of the sci-fi franchise Star Trek, he played different characters in ‘Star Trek V: The Final Frontier’, ‘Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country’, and the ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ two-part ‘Chain of Command’ episode.

Other notable roles included as Billy Zane’s valet and bodyguard, Spicer Lovejoy, in James Cameron’s 1997 record-breaking blockbuster ‘Titanic’, and as photographer Keith Jennings in the 1976 horror classic ‘The Omen’.

And with over 220 film and television credits to his name he was rarely short of work.

Here’s what you need to know about his varied career.

What was his background?

David Warner was born on 29 July, 1941, in Manchester, to Ada Doreen Hattersley and Herbert Simon Warner, and was educated in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire,

After school he graduated from RADA in 1961 and made his stage debut as Snout, a minor role in Shakespeare's ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ at the Royal Court Theatre, in January 1962.

English actor David Warner as King Henry VI in the stage play 'The Wars of the Roses', adapted from Shakespeare's historical plays 'Henry VI' and 'Richard III', and staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in London, UK, 11th January 1964. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

His first film role followed in 1963, when he played the villainous Blifil in ‘Tom Jones’.

Two years later he starred as Henry VI in the BBC television version of the Royal Shakespeare Company's The Wars of the Roses cycle of Shakespeare's history plays.

What were his most notable roles?

Aside from The Omen, Star Trek and Titanic, David Warner appeared in numerous plays, television programmes and films.

Other screen credits included The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Straw Dogs, Cross of Iron, Holocaust, The Thirty Nine Steps, Time After Time, Time Bandits, Tron, A Christmas Carol, Portrait in Evil, Avatar, Scream2, Planet of the Apes and Mary Poppins Returns.

It was his role in the 1966 film Morgan: A Suitable Case For Treatment, in which he starred alongside Dame Vanessa Redgrave, that earned him a leading actor Bafta nomination.

And in 1981, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his portrayal of Pomponius Falco in the television miniseries Masada.

Amid his success, Warner suffered chronic stage fright brought on by the skin condition psoriasis, and prioritised TV and film parts over theatre.

But in 2001, he returned to the stage after nearly 30 years to play Andrew Undershaft in a Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara.

In 2014 he was among the cast of BBC Radio 4’s The Once And Future King, a series based on and adapted from TH White’s collection of fantasy novels by dramatist Brian Sibley.

Warner also had an extensive list of theatre credits, having been a part of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) which saw him star in productions of The Tempest, Julius Caesar and Henry VI.

How did he die?

David Warner dies aged 80 from a cancer-related disease on Sunday, July 24, 2022.

He died at Denville Hall, a care home for those in the entertainment industry in Northwood, London.

What have his family said?

David Warner is survived by his partner Lisa Bowerman, his son Luke and daughter-in-law Sarah.

A statement from his family said: “He will be missed hugely by us, his family and friends, and remembered as a kind-hearted, generous and compassionate man, partner and father whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over the years. We are heartbroken.

“He is survived by his beloved partner Lisa Bowerman, his much-loved son Luke and daughter in-law Sarah, his good friend Jane Spencer Prior, his first wife Harriet Evans and his many gold dust friends.”

Additional reporting: PA

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