"Lord Of The Rings" Star Sir Ian Holm Dies at 88

Sir Ian Holm, an acclaimed British actor whose long spanned career is filled with many on stage and screen performances, has died in London aged 88, his agent confirmed.

He revealed that the actor, best known for his performance in “Lord of the Rings”, “Hobbit”, and “Alien,”  has died in hospital on Friday morning from an illness related to Parkinson’s disease.

The late actor had been battling Parkinson’s disease for many years. Holm’s final days were documented in a series of pastel portraits by his wife, Sophie de Stempel.

Earlier this month, he expressed his sadness that he was unable to participate in a virtual reunion for lord of the rings films organized by actor Josh Gad, and stated: “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.”

In January Holm made one of his final public appearances to collect the Newport Beach Film Festival’s Icon Award in London.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Sir Ian Holm in Lord of The Rings[/caption]

Obituary: Ian Holm

Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE, known as Ian Holm, was born on September 12, 1931, in Goodmayes, United Kingdom.

Holm, who was celebrated for interpretations of most of the Shakespeare canon, including a towering “King Lear,”, began working in films only midway through his career, debuting with an adaptation of his stage performance in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

He also excelled on stage in the original production of Harold Pinter’s “The Homecoming,” which earned him the 1967 "Tony Award for Best Featured Actor". In 1968, he also earned the 1998 "Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor" for his performance in the title role of "King Lear".

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Ian Holm[/caption]

He was an established star of the Royal Shakespeare Company before working in television and film. Holm had been working as an actor for decades when he first achieved mainstream notice for his work in 1979’s “Alien” and in 1981’s “Chariots of Fire.”

The late actor was also best known for his roles in the movie "The Fifth Element" (1997) as well as his roles in the trilogies of "The Lord of the Rings" (2001) and "The Hobbit" (2012).