Ian Holm, Star of Lord of the Rings and Alien, Dies Aged 88

Sir Ian Holm, who played Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings franchise and malfunctioning android Ash in the 1979 Alien film, has died aged 88. "It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88," his agents confirmed to The Guardian. "He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer," adding that his illness was related to Parkinson's. "Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely." [caption id="attachment_2368922" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings.[/caption] Holm was an established star of the stage before making an impact on film and television. He gained a loyal fanbase of sci-fi followers through his turn as the treacherous android Ash in Ridley Scott's Alien, a film role that made a lasting impression with audiences. In 1981, Holm shot to fame with one of his best-known roles, starring as the athletics trainer Sam Mussabini in the historical sporting drama Chariots of Fire, for which he won a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The versatile actor had many more memorable roles in high-profile films in the years that followed, including a return to the sci-fi genre, playing Mr Kurtzmann in Terry Gilliam's Brazil in 1985, and later Father Vito Cornelius in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element in 1997. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/12/17/connections-between-the-lord-of-the-rings-and-the-hobbit"] However, it was his portrayal of Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies that introduced the magic of his craft to a whole new generation. He first appeared as the kind-faced hobbit in the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. He reprised the role in The Return of the King in 2003, as well as the first and third instalments of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, more than a decade later. "He was a genius of stage and screen, winning multiple awards and loved by directors, audiences and his colleagues alike. His sparkling wit always accompanied a mischievous twinkle in his eye," his agents concluded in their statement. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

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