Nigel Hawthorne, R.I.P.

British actor Nigel Hawthorne passed away today, at the age of 72.

Hawthorne was one of those actors who was consistently believable and interesting on-screen, equally adept at comedy and drama, contemporary and period pieces. He first became famous as the co-star of the satirical BBC series of the 1980s "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister". He was rightly Oscar nominated for his title role in The Madness of King George (1994), and was memorable in movies as vairied as Amistad, The Object of My Affection, Demolition Man, Richard III, Twelfth Night, and Mamet's re-make of The Winslow Boy. He also provided voices for two Disney animated flicks, Tarzan and The Black Cauldron. As you might suspect, he was a star of the English stage as well. He was Knighted in 1999.


He died of an apparent heart attack at his home in Hertfordshire. He had also been battling pancreatic cancer for a couple of years.

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

And he was in the recent Call Me Claus made-for-tv movie.

__________________
"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

Yeah, a quickie made-for-TV Christmas flick with Whoopi Goldberg isn't exactly a feather in his cap, which is why I didn't mention it. I'm trying to pay respects to the man's body of work, not make fun of him.

That's true.

Sorry for destroying your homage to the great one.