David Warner, veteran actor of stage and display who voiced Baldur’s Gate 2’s iconic villain Jon Irenicus, has died aged 80.
The Shakespearean actor, who the BBC reviews (opens in new tab) died of a “cancer-related sickness”, was finest recognized for his cinematic roles corresponding to Jennings in traditional horror movie the Omen, and Billy Zane’s sidekick in Titanic. He was the Evil Genius in Terry Gilliam’s movie Time Bandits, and performed the roles of Ed Dillinger, Sark, and the Grasp Management Program in Disney’s pioneering CGI film Tron.
Warner was additionally a prolific TV actor, showing in Physician Who, Star Trek, and Wallander, and had a number of main voice-acting roles in video video games. His earliest gaming function got here in 1996, when he performed Rhineheart within the space-sim Privateer 2: The Darkening, as a part of an all-star forged that included John Harm and Clive Owen. Later, he had roles in video games like Star Wars: Pressure Commander, Descent 3, and Star Trek: Klingon Academy.
However Warner’s most notable video-game efficiency got here in 2000, when he performed Jon Irenicus in Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn. His commanding portrayal of the conceited elven mage made Irenicus some of the memorable villains in RPGs, and is among the key the explanation why Baldur’s Gate 2 stays such an arresting expertise at present. Warner returned to the function in 2016 for Siege of Dragonspear, the official growth to Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Version which fills within the gaps between the unique recreation and its sequel.
“Over the previous 18 months he approached his prognosis with a attribute grace and dignity,” Warner’s household mentioned in a press release to the BBC. “He will likely be missed vastly by us, his household and buddies, and remembered as a kind-hearted, beneficiant and compassionate man, accomplice and father, whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over time. We’re heartbroken.”
