‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘Alien’ Actor Ian Holm Dead At 88

The actor passed away peacefully in hospital Friday morning.

Ian Holm Lord of the Rings Alien Bilbo Baggins Peter Jackson

Lord of the Rings and Alien star Ian Holm has passed away at the age of 88, according to the actor’s agent.

Holm who is best known for his role as Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings also played many other iconic roles such as Ash in Ridley Scott’s Alien, and Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element. The actor died peacefully on Friday morning due to a Parkinson’s related illness. His agent, Alex Irwin released an official statement on his passing to The Guardian.

“It is with great sadness 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,” Irwin said. “Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.”

In addition to his roles in Lord of the Rings, Alien, and The Fifth Element, Holm received both an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA award for his role in Chariots of Fire.

Holm was born in 1931 in Sussex, England. The Lord of the Rings and Alien actor attended the RADA drama school in London. He was knighted for services to drama in 1998.

The actor is survived by his fourth wife, Sophie de Stempel, as well as five children from previous relationships.

As for the Lord of the Rings franchise, a new series is currently in the works from Amazon. Production was underway when principal photography was forced to shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Plot details remain under wraps, but the streamer announced the cast earlier this year. The series is reportedly set before the events of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring during the Second Age of Middle-Earth.

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series is being developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who leads a writer’s room that includes Game of Thrones alum Bryan Cogman. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J. A. Bayona is set to direct multiple episodes of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series.

The series stars Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman.

Amazon has not announced a released date for the Lord of the Rings series. Stay tuned for the latest news on Ian Holm, and Amazon’s Lord of the Rings as we learn it. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content in the future!

Source: The Guardian

Michael Mistroff

Michael Mistroff

News Editor, Film/TV Reporter at Heroic Hollywood.