Aww damn and blast it! And what a career he leaves as a legacy! Amazing. Rest in peace, Sir Ian. Condolences to his family and friends.
Ditto, I first saw him in Alien (he played one scary Android there and did it well); and then recognized him as I saw many of the films he did earlier. RIP.
I first noticed him when I saw his incredible performance in Chariots of Fire. He was incredibly talented and good in every role, big or small, no matter what the genre.
Sobering news. His association with The Lord Of The Rings began with the 1981 radio series, in which he played Frodo and which was influential on the movie adaptation. I also remember him as being one of the best things about the movie From Hell, where he played the pivotal role of Sir William Gull.
And D'Arnot from Greystoke. And twice playing Napoleon, once as a cameo, once as the star (something I think only James Cagney has also done, as George M. Cohan). In another forum, someone said it's a sad day in Dol Eressea. I think they got it backward, as today would be the day he arrived there. Surely a day of rejoicing.
Bilbo's Last Song: "Day is ended, dim my eyes, But journey long before me lies. Farewell, friends! I hear the call. The ship's beside the stony wall. Foam is white and waves are grey; beyond the sunset leads my way. Foam is salt, the wind is free; I hear the rising of the sea. Farewell, friends! The sails are set, the wind is east, the moorings fret. Shadows long before me lie, beneath the ever-bending sky, but islands lie behind the Sun that I shall raise ere all is done; lands there are to west of West, where night is quiet and sleep is rest. Guided by the Lonely Star, beyond the utmost harbour-bar, I'll find the heavens fair and free, and beaches of the Starlit Sea. Ship my ship! I seek the West, and fields and mountains ever blest. Farewell to Middle-earth at last. I see the star above my mast!" Farewell, Ian Holm. Thank you for the decades of adventures!
He was in so many films in so many memorable roles, but for me he will always be the definitive Frodo Baggins outside of the books. I used to listen to the BBC radio version of LotR once a year, ever since picking them up in the early 90's on cassette.. That was *my* LotR until I finally managed to get through the books years later. It took some adjusting getting used to him speaking Bilbo's lines in the films, but he was wonderful there as well. The BBC radio version had several beautiful renditions of Tolkiens songs and poems, and I couldn't stop hearing this, my favorite version of Bilbo's Last Song, when I learned of his passing. Farewell Mr. Holm, and thank you.
He studied Napoleon to play him in the Kubrick film that never happened. The later roles were compensation for not getting to play him properly.
Holm, by all accounts, was not a method actor, but he felt that if he was going to play Napoleon he should know everything about Napoleon. (BTW, my great x4 grandad is Wellington. Fortunately, I have not inherited the nose!)