Ian Holm, Star Of ‘Alien’, ‘Lord Of The Rings’, And Much More, Dead At 88
Ian Holm, a classically trained Shakespearean actor with an intimidating list of credits, has died. Holm’s agent issued a statement saying the actor “died peacefully in the hospital in the company of his family and caregiver,” adding, “Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.” Holm was 88. The actor became an established member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving into television and film.
Ian Holm was one of those actors who was great in just about anything. No matter how small the role – he turns in a quiet, devastating performance inGarden State, a movie everyone would rather forget about these days – Holm radiated a certain presence that was impossible to ignore. The actor got his start by chance: while at a dentist visit, he met Henry Baynton, a well-known Shakespearean actor who helped Holm train for admission to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which Holm entered in 1949.
In the years to come, Holm would appear on stage and TV, and had minor roles in films likeNicholas and Alexandra(1971) andMary, Queen of Scots(1971). It was his work as Ash, the science officer/secret android in Ridley Scott’sAlien(1979) that truly catapulted Holm to prominence. After that, Holm would earn an Academy Award nomination for his work in 1981’sChariots of Fire.
The actor would go on to appear in Terry Gilliam filmsTime Bandits(1981) andBrazil(1985), and Kenneth Branagh films such asHenry V(1989) andMary Shelley’s Frankenstein(1994). He delivered a melancholy performance in the haunting 1997 filmThe Sweet Hereafter, and even managed to bring dignity to dreck like 2001’sFrom Hell.
Other notable films from Holm includeKafka(1991),The Fifth Element(1997),The Madness of King George(1994),Big Night(1996),The Aviator(2004), and voice work in films likeWisconsin Death Trip(1999) andRatatouille(2007). Near the end of his career, Holm would play Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy, arguably his most famous role, and cameo as the character again inThe Hobbittrilogy, with 2014’sThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armiesbeing Holm’s final film role.
“I’ve always been a minimalist,” Holm said of his acting. It was Bogart who once said, ‘If you think the right thoughts, the camera will pick it up.’ The most important thing in the face is the eyes, and if you can make the eyes talk, you’re halfway there."
