British actor David Warner, who starred in the blockbuster films Tron, The Omen and Titanic has died at the age of 80 from a cancer-related illness on Sunday, July 24, 2022.

Warner played the villainous ENCOM executive Ed Dillinger in Tron, photojournalist Keith Jennings in The Omen and valet henchman Spicer Lovejoy Titanic.

He recently appeared as naval eccentric Admiral Boom in Mary Poppins Returns.

Born David Hattersley Warner on 29 July 1941, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate was renowned for title roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Henry VI and Hamlet early on in his career.

In a statement released to the BBC, Warner’s family shared the news “with an overwhelmingly heavy heart”.

“Over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with a characteristic grace and dignity,” his family said in a statement given to the BBC.

“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,”

Warner received a Bafta nomination for his lead performance in Karel Reisz’s 1966 film Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment and won an Emmy in 1981 for outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or special for his portrayal of Pomponius Falco in the television miniseries Masada.

He also enjoyed a successful television career, with roles in Wallander, Penny Dreadful, Inside No. 9, Ripper Street, Twin Peaks and Doctor Who among others.

Doctor Who

Warner played Professor Grisenko in the Doctor Who Series 7 episode, Cold War.

He also starred in several Doctor Who spinoff audio adventures by Big Finish, voicing an Unbound Doctor in the Big Finish audio adventures Doctor Who Unbound: Sympathy For The Devil and Masters of War.

He later reprised his Doctor for five box sets of The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield with his partner Lisa Bowerman, the last of which is scheduled for release in September 2022.
He is survived by his partner Lisa Bowerman, his son Luke, his first wife Harriet Evans and his many friends.