Ian Holm, star of the Rings who ruled stage and screen, dies at 88
IAN Holm, who starred in Chariots of Fire and Alien before winning an army of younger fans as Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has died aged 88.
The veteran actor passed away ‘peacefully’ from an illness related to Parkinson’s disease in hospital yesterday morning, his family said.
Hours after his death, his wife, Sophie de Stempel, 60, posted a black and white photo of her late husband on stage on her Instagram account. The pair had been married since 2003.
Tributes flooded in, with the National Theatre saying: ‘He was an extraordinary actor and we have wonderful memories of his performance as King Lear in 1997.’ Comedian Eddie Izzard wrote: ‘The great Ian Holm is dead. Wonderful actor and it’s so sad to see him go. Farewell, you did great work Sir.’
His death came less than a month after he apologised for being unable to reunite with his Lord of the Rings co-stars Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and Sir Ian McKellen for a Zoom video conference call. ‘I am sorry to not see you in person, I miss you all and hope your adventures have taken you to many places, I am in lockdown in my hobbit home, or holm,’ he said at the time.
Born in Essex in 1931, Holm was classically trained and enjoyed an illustrious stage career, winning an Evening Standard best actor award for Henry V in 1965. But he suffered from severe stage fright and had a ‘sort of breakdown’ during a performance of The Iceman Cometh in 1976, something he later described as ‘a scar on my memory that will never go away’.
He transitioned to the screen midway through his career, and hit screen roles included playing android Ash in 1979 sci-fi smash Alien. Two years later Holm won a best-supporting actor Bafta – and was nominated for an Oscar – for his role as athletics coach Sam Mussabini in the blockbuster Chariots of Fire, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In his next movie, Time Bandits, in 1981, he played Napoleon. He received a knighthood in 1998 for his contribution to drama.
Holm was cast as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s hugely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, having played Frodo Baggins in a 1981 radio adaptation. Once described as the ‘Lord of the Flings’ by the Mail for his multiple marriages, one of which was to fellow actor Penelope Wilton, Holm is survived by Miss de Stempel, his fourth wife, and his five children from previous relationships.
In a statement yesterday, his family said of the star: ‘Charming, kind and ferociously talented ... we will miss him hugely.’