Adrian Schiller, British actor known for ‘The Last Kingdom’ and ‘Victoria,’ dies at 60
Alexandra Del Rosario April 4, 2024
British actor
Adrian Schiller
, whose career included
roles in
the historical dramas “The Last Kingdom” and “Victoria,” has died.
Scott Marshall Partners
, an agency which represented Schiller for more than 30 years, confirmed to The Times that the actor died Wednesday. Additional details, including a cause of death and his survivors, were not revealed. He was
60
.
“He has died far too soon, and we, his family and close friends are devastated by the loss,” Scott Marshall Partners said in a statement shared with The Times. “His death was sudden and unexpected and no further details around its cause are yet available.”
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The agency added that the “prodigiously talented actor” recently returned from Sydney where he performed in a production of the
Sam Mendes-
directed play
,
“
The Lehman Trilogy.
” Schiller was “looking forward to continuing” the play’s international run, which included
an
shows at San Francisco’s Toni Rembe Theater from May 25 to June 23.
The National Theatre, which co-produces the play, mourned the loss of
theits “Lehman Trilogy”
actor in a statement posted early Thursday morning on X (formerly Twitter).
Theater director Rufus Norris, the theatre’s director,
remembered Schiller as a friend, “wonderful actor” and frequent collaborator.
“His recent performance as
Henry Lehman
in the Australian premiere of ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ was superb and his presence within the company will be greatly missed,” Norris said
,
before expressing condolences for Schiller’s loved ones.
Schiller, who was born on
Feb. 21, 1964
, pursued a variety of
acting
opportunities throughout his acting career, ranging from TV and film to theater and video games. In
the
recent years,
before his death,
however, Schiller was best known for his work on historical dramas “The Last Kingdom” and “Victoria.”
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In “The Last Kingdom” (which found a new home at Netflix for its later seasons), Schiller starred in 25 episodes as the wealthy “ealdorman” Aethelhelm. “The Last Kingdom” premiered on the BBC in
2015
and streamed its final season on Netflix in
March 2022.
For BBC’s “Victoria,” Schiller starred as
Cornelius Penge
, a footman who served the royal family at both
Kensington Palace
and
Buckingham Palace
. The series, which ran from
2016
to
2019
, starred “Doctor Who” actor
Jenna Coleman
in the title role.
Television made up a majority of Schiller’s decades-long career, which began in the early 90s, according to IMDb. The actor’s additional TV credits include minor roles in “
Raised by Wolves
,” “
Genius
” and “
Doctor Who
.”
Schiller’s on-screen credits also include films “
The Danish Girl
,” “
Bright Star
” and Disney’s
2017
live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast.” Additionally, Schiller lent his voice to the “
Assassin’s Creed
,” “
Castlevania
” and “
Fable
” video game franchises.
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On Thursday morning, a person who said they were Schiller’s sister Ginny announced the actor’s death on his X profile. In a pair of posts, Ginny also said plans for a memorial will be shared at a later date and shared a link to support Schiller’s partner
Milena
and his young son
Gabriel
.
The fundraiser, organized by Schiller’s family, raised more than
5,200 pounds (about $6,600)
on Tuesday, far exceeding its original
100
goal
of 100 pounds
.
“Adrian enjoyed a varied and successful career across all media,” Scott Marshall Partners added in its statement. “Our deepest condolences go to his family, who ask for privacy at this most difficult of times.”
