‘Titanic’ and ‘The Omen’ Star David Warner Dead at 80

Veteran British actor David Warner, known for his roles in Hollywood hits including Titanic and The Omen, has died. Warner passed away on Sunday at Denville Hall in Northwood, a care home for figures in the entertainment industry, from “a cancer-related illness,” his family confirmed in a statement to the BBC. He was 80.

Warner’s family shared news of the actor’s death “with an overwhelmingly heavy heart,” sharing that “over the past 18 months he approached his diagnosis with a characteristic grace and dignity.” The actor’s family added that Warner “will be missed hugely by us, his family and friends, and remembered as a kind-hearted, generous, and compassionate man, partner, and father, whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over the years.” The statement concluded, “We are heartbroken.”

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Born in Manchester, England, in July 1941, Warner’s decades-long career spanned cinema, stage, television, and radio. He studied at the prestigious British drama school the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company when he was just 21, being cast as the lead in Karel Reisz’s critically acclaimed film Morgan, A Suitable Case For Treatment. The RSC later cast him in Hamlet in 1965. However, it was his titular role opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the 1966 British film Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment that first earned him acclaim, with Warner receiving a BAFTA nomination. After developing stage fright following “a disastrous production” of I, Claudius in 1963, Warner focused on film acting, according to The Guardian, appearing in titles including Terry Gilliams’ Time Bandits, Time After Time, and Tron.

Warner, however, was best known for his role in the 1970s horror flick The Omen. In the cult classic film, Warner portrayed photographer Keith Jennings, who is beheaded by a sheet of glass. He also notably starred as Spicer Lovejoy, Billy Zane’s malicious enforcer, in James Cameron’s Titanic. His other film credits include The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Man with Two Brains, and Little Malcolm. Warner was also a force to be reckoned with on the small screen, with his TV credits including Penny Dreadful, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, and several Star Trek productions, among many others. In 1981, he won a Supporting Actor Emmy for his performance as a Roman senator in the ABC miniseries Masada. His most recent credits include Disney’s 2018 remake Mary Poppins Returns. Warner is survived by his partner Lisa Bowerman, son Luke, daughter-in-law Sarah, and his first wife Harriet.