The entertainment world has lost an acting titan with the passing of life David Warner. An actor with a career spanning nearly six decades, Warner was a fearless actor who seemed to live inside every character he portrayed, be it a 15th-century king or a notorious Nazi. His training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Royal Shakespeare Company, combined with his own innate ability to fully embrace the role, has given Warner a film and television legacy that few can match.
In hundreds of roles in films and television between 1962 and 2020, Warner never stopped fully immersing himself in the characters he played, no matter the role. Warner was a true character actor and, fortunately for us, we will always be able to enjoy the mark he left on the world of celluloid. While it’s almost impossible to make a list of Warner’s “best” roles, here’s a partial list of some of his most memorable roles from the past 60 years.
King Henry VI in The Wars of the Roses (1965)
Warner was just 24 years old when he took on the role of King of England and Lord of Ireland in this early British mini-series, a theatrical production of four of Shakespeare’s historical plays presented as a 14-episode TV special. Warner held his own against acting legends like Dame Peggy Ashcroft as well as Ian Holm how a young ruler who inherited the Hundred Years War slowly went insane and died in custody in the Tower of London. The part would have been a challenge for the most experienced actors, but the relatively inexperienced Warner handled the complex character like he was born to play the part, and audiences took notice.
Keith Jennings in The Omen (1976)
Moving away from roles of historical figures or characters in classic literary works, Warner portrayed a rebellious photojournalist and assistant Gregory Peck in this classic horror movie. As one of the film’s few likable characters, audiences cheered for Warner’s Jennings as he helped Peck solve the mystery behind the birth of Damien’s evil child and the satanic cult behind him. Unfortunately, Jennings meets the most gruesome death in the film when a runaway truck ejects a huge sheet of glass that immediately blows his head off. Ask any moviegoer what they remember about Warner in this role, and they will most likely tell you about this shocking scene.
Reinhard Heydrich in the Holocaust (1978)
From Shakespearean king to Nazi leader, Warner boldly took on the role of an infamous German SS official and chief architect of the Holocaust in this award-winning epic NBC miniseries. Warner conveyed the coldness and brutality of the Final Solution’s key architect with chilling accuracy. Watching Warner’s heartless expression as his Heydrich calmly orders the assassinations of members of the resistance against the German regime is not easy to forget. Warner’s audacity in portraying this repulsive figure in world history earned him a well-deserved Emmy Award nomination.
Jack the Ripper in Time After Time (1979)
Warner plays the notorious Jack the Ripper in this sci-fi crime fantasy, but in this twist, Jack the Ripper steals H. G. Wells'(Malcolm McDowell) is a time machine and travels to 20th century San Francisco to continue his killing spree. Warner is brilliant as erudite surgeon Dr. John Leslie Stevenson, a man who becomes a serial killer, and his cat-and-mouse skirmishes with Wells McDowell in the film are like a master class in the art of controlled, measured work. In terms of sheer fun and excitement, nothing beats Warner running from McDowell through the streets of San Francisco in this classic thriller.
Creature in Frankenstein (1984)
When most people think about Frankensteinthey think about Boris Karloff and his legendary portrayal of the ill-fated monster. A testament to Warner’s courage as an actor is that he had the guts to bring his own interpretation of the creature into this TV retelling. Mary Shelley novel. Barely recognizable under the prosthetics and makeup needed to create the grotesque beast, Warner still managed to convey a sense of sadness and empathy for the doomed character. There is a particularly heartbreaking scene in the film when the creature confronts its creator and begs for a companion to cure its loneliness. In Warner’s performance, the audience could feel pure sorrow and despondency destroying the being from the inside, and this mournful moment left few eyes dry.
Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Warner was familiar with the Star Trek franchise from roles in two films and in Next generation TV serial. AT Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Warner seemed to be thrilled to play the role of chancellor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire. Bust with the cast, which included William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummeras well as Kim CattrallWarner played a wise leader intent on making peace with the Federation, but whose botched assassination sparks a battle for the lives of Kirk and Spock. It’s nice to see Warner in a role that winks a little and hints at his earlier roles as kings, rulers and other imposing authority figures. This time Warner did it all for fun and the audience enjoyed riding with him.
Thomas Eckhardt in Twin Peaks (1991)
There is little doubt that Twin Peaks was one of the most unique, exciting, and downright bizarre series to hit TV screens in the 1990s, and its cult following remains strong even 30 years later. What better way for Warner to showcase his talents? Warner portrayed the enigmatic Thomas Eckhardt in sunglasses, a former business partner of one Andrew Packard (Dan O’Herlihy), whom Eckhardt tried (but failed) to kill. Warner brought the right touch of sophistication and superiority to Eckhardt, a criminal mastermind who was eventually outmaneuvered by his former protégé Josie (Joan Chen). Warner meets a tragic demise on this series, and although his character line on this curious series was short, it made a lasting impression on the show’s diehard fans.
Spicer Lovejoy in Titanic (1997)
In that James Cameron Star-studded with spectacular special effects, Warner played the smartest of the wise guys, Spicer Lovejoy, the devoted butler of the jealous and domineering Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). Viewers will remember Warner’s Lovejoy as the villain who stows the coveted Heart of the Ocean necklace in his jacket pocket. Leonardo DiCaprioJack Dawson, setting off a chain of events that begins with Jack being falsely accused of stealing and ends with the poor child drowning at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. As Lovejoy, Warner showed a cool personality behind which was a sinister manipulator intent on doing something in the service of his employer. Warner was so effective in embodying his character’s evil that audiences even applauded when the stern of the Titanic crashed down on Lovejoy in an epic movie crescendo.
Source: Collider
