Ben Cross, best known for his roles in "Chariots of Fire" and "Star Trek," died suddenly on Tuesday at age 72. The actor had been sick but his health took a turn for the worse in recent days, his daughter, Lauren Cross, revealed in a Facebook post shared to her father's official page.
"I am utterly heartbroken to share with you that my darling father died a few hours ago," she wrote. "He had been sick for a while but there was a rapid decline over the past week. 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."
Cross has appeared in dozens of films and theater productions but one of his most memorable performances was as Harold Abrahams, a 1924 Olympics competitor, in the 1981 film "Chariots of Fire." Cross also appeared in "First Knight" (1995), which also starred Sean Connery and Richard Gere.
He is well known to "Star Trek" fans from his role of Spock's father, Sarek, in the 2009 "Star Trek" film. More recently, he portrayed Prince Charles in the 2011 TV film "William & Kate."
Cross developed a passion for acting at a young age while performing in several grammar school plays, according to IMDB. He was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at age 22 and, upon graduation, performed in various stage plays at Duke's Playhouse before landing a role in the hit musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and later "Chicago."
The latter performance resulted in him being cast in "Chariots of Fire" and paved the way for his successful career. Cross passed away 10 days after he finished filming "The Devil's Light."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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