British actor Joss Ackland is best known for his roles in movies including “Lethal Weapon 2,” “The Mighty Ducks,” and “The Hunt for Red October.” He has upwards of 130 credits in a wide variety of film and television projects.
Now, we have learned that Ackland has died at 95 years old. His representative, Paul Pearson, told Variety, “Joss was a long term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end, he died peacefully with his family this morning.” A cause of death has yet to be released, but we do know that he died on November 19, 2023, in Clovelly, North Devon, England, UK, according to his IMDB biography.
Joss Ackland, RIP. Dad was so pleased whenever this wonderful actor was cast in one of his episodes: The Sweeney, The Gentle Touch…From the Old Vic to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, from Evita to the Pet Shop Boys… what a career. pic.twitter.com/QVnOiARVUv
— Rodney Marshall (@RodneyMarshall1) November 19, 2023
Besides his acting career on screen, Ackland also acted on the stage. For example, he played Juan Peron in “Evita” and he also starred in “A Little Night Music.”
Ackland was born in North Kensington, London, and he attended London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. At age 17, he started his acting career on stage in a performance of “The Hasty Heart.”
Joss Ackland, a man who could do it all, has died. Let's remember his enduring prowess as a character actor par excellence. pic.twitter.com/CNWTW6imEx
— Bill T. Pleasure (@WilliamScurry) November 20, 2023
In 1955, he spent 2 years in Africa working on a tea plantation, but he did not leave his creative pursuits behind. During that time, he wrote plays and also worked as a disc jockey.
In the 1960s, he began acting more on screen than on stage, and his career hit a high point in the 1970s and 1980s.
Besides his career as an actor, Ackland was also a family man. He married Rosemary Kirkcaldy in 1951, and they remained married until her death in 2002. The couple had 7 children together, and Ackland once referred to his children as his “hobby.”
Ackland is survived by all 7 of his children as well as 34 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.