Ben Cross, the actor best known for his role in Chariots of Fire, has passed away at the age of 72 “following a short illness.
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The 72-year-old movie star’s death was confirmed by his family who told Deadline that the English stage and movie star died in Vienna on Tuesday.
“Ben passed away suddenly today following a short illness.
He had just finished shooting The Devil’s Light for Lionsgate and later this year will be seen in Last Letter From Your Lover in a leading role,” the statement provided by Ben’s representatives reads.
Mr. Cross, who was born in London, worked various jobs, including window cleaning, before taking on a career in acting.
At the age of 22, Cross entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and five years later he was accepted into Royal Shakespeare Company.
The aspiring actor rose to stardom after appearing in Chicago as lawyer Billy Flynn and consecutively being recommended for Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire in which he appeared as Olympic runner Harold Abrahams.
During his decades-long career, the actor appeared in a number of movies including The Flame Trees of Thika (1981), Live Wire (1992), First Knight (1995), Bible Collection: Solomon (1997), The Mechanik (2005), Star Trek (2009), The Hurricane Heist (2018), and more.
Following the 72-year-old’s death, his daughter, Lauren, wrote a tribute to her dad and posted it on his Facebook page.
“I am utterly heartbroken to share with you that my darling father died a few hours ago. He had been sick for a while but there was a rapid decline over the past week,” she wrote.
“The press will be announcing his death soon, I just wanted you all, his most loyal and loving fans, to hear it from us first.
“Thank you for all your support over the years. He really enjoyed interacting with you.”
May he rest in peace.
Replaced!