British Stage and Screen Actor Simon Ward Dies at 70

According to the BBC News, stage and screen actor Simon Ward died on July 20, 2012, after a long illness. He was 70. As reported by the BBC, "a statement released by his agent said he passed away peacefully with his wife Alexandra and daughters at his bedside."

Ward, who most recently starred as Bishop Gardiner in Showtime's The Tudors, has been part of British theatre, television and film for nearly 50 years. Ward joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 13, then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, working in Northampton, Birmingham, Oxford and the West End.

On the West End, Ward has starred in Ross, Alan Bennett's The Madness of George III and more. Ward was also set to play Alfred P. Dolittle in the 2011 West End revival of Pygmalion but had to pull out of the production due to illness. He made his stage break in 1967 when he appeared in Joe Orton's Loot. On Broadway, Ward appeared as Oliver in the 1979 production of A Meeting by the River. His other theatre credits include Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband and more.

Ward is well known for his roles in the films Zulu Dawn (1979) and The Three Musketeers, for which he played the Duke of Buckingham in 1973. He also played Winston Churchill in Young Winston in 1972. Other film credits include The Four Feathers, All Creatures Great and Small, Aces High, Hitler: The Last Ten Days, Supergirl, Wuthering Heights, and many more. On television, Ward is celebrated for his portrayal of Sir Monty Everard in Judge John Deed.