'Aliens' actor Jay Benedict who landed first film at age 11 dies from coronavirus a week before 69th birthday
'The Dark Knight Rises' actor Jay Benedict has died from complications arising from coronavirus infection just a week before his 69th birthday. His management team announced the tragic news on Twitter.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear client Jay Benedict, who this afternoon lost his battle with COVID-19. Our thoughts are with his family," the company account tweeted on April 4.
Benedict leaves behind his wife Phoebe Scholfield and two sons, Freddie and Leopold.
The actor, who had his first film role at the age of 11 in the 1963 film 'La Bande à Bobo', had a major role in James Cameron's 'Aliens'. In the UK, the actor is best known for his performance of Captain/ Major John Kieffer in 'Foyle's War' and 'Emmerdale', the long-running series in the UK. He played the role of Deak in 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope' but unfortunately, the scenes were deleted before the release.
Benedict was also involved in post-production audio work through his company Sync or Swim on series like 'Downtown Abbey', 'Dickensian', 'Call the Midwife' and 'Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands'. He also lent his voice to video games, documentaries and commercials on television and radio.
He also has a prolific record of working on stage performing multiple roles for 'The Rocky Horror Show' as early as the 1970s, a production of 'Sweet Bird of Youth', 'The Foreigner' and 'Filumena' (a Franco Zeffirelli production where he played the role of Riccardo opposite Pierce Brosnan, the Bond actor's first stage role).
Fans of the actor are grieving the loss the industry has suffered and reminiscing his work. "So sorry to hear this. A terrific actor and voice artiste in both French and English. Huge loss," tweeted a fan.
His zest and enthusiasm towards life and his work are also remarkable. "This is so sad. I remember his big smile, what a big loss, especially those close to him," tweeted a fan. "I can't tell you how sad we are. We all loved Jay. His warmth and joie de vivre lit up a room. He will be so greatly missed," tweeted another.
His 'Emmerdale' co-star Vicki Michelle honored the late actor on Twitter with a photo of them together. "Shocked to hear one of our most brilliant actors and kind lovely man Jay Benedict has passed," she wrote. She also shared her condolences for Benedict's wife and family, adding, "Married to my lovely friend Phoebe Scholfield #AlloAllo My heart goes out to her and her family at this sad time."