Ronald Pickup, the renowned British stage actor, who starred in the successful films “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and “Darkest Hour,” has died at the age of 80.
Pickup passed away Wednesday after a long illness surrounded by his wife and family, his agent confirmed.
“We’re very sad to hear that Ronald Pickup has died,” tweeted the National Theatre on Thursday. “Ronald was an exceptional actor and had a long history with the (National Theatre), starting with 1964′s ‘The Royal Hunt of the Sun.’ He went on to feature in 36 of our productions, and was a regular at The Old Vic under Laurence Olivier.”
Born in Chester, England, in 1940, the actor accrued more than 150 TV and film appearances during his prodigious five-plus-decade career.
During the 1970s, Pickup appeared on the big screen in “Joseph Andrews” and the Burt Lancaster war drama “Zulu Dawn.”
He is probably best known in the 1980s for starring as Albert Einstein in the miniseries “Einstein” and Prince Yakimov in “Fortunes of War.”
Throughout the 1990s, he made numerous TV appearances, notably “Black Hearts in Battersea” and “Ivanhoe.”
On stage, Pickup appeared opposite Judi Dench in the David Hare play “Amy’s View.” He originated the role of Frank Oddie in the West End and received an Olivier nomination for his performance before reprising the role in 1999 for his Broadway debut, according to Internet Broadway Database.
He would partner with Dench again as ladies’ man Norman Cousins in the 2011 film comedy “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and its sequel four years later.
In 2016, he appeared on four episodes of “The Crown” as the Archbishop of Canterbury and portrayed British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in the 2017 Oscar-winning film “Darkest Hour.”
Pickup was to co-star with Ian McKellen in the upcoming film “Schadenfreude,” according to IMDb.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lans Traverse; daughter, Rachel; and son, Simon.
