‘Chariots of Fire’ star Ben Cross dies after short illness
He had the leading role as Olympic runner Harold Abrahams in the true story
Ben Cross, an actor who starred in the Oscar Award-winning film ‘Chariots of Fire’ and ‘Star Trek,’ has died. He was 72.
His representative Tracy Mapes said the actor died suddenly on Tuesday after a short illness. Mapes said Cross had just finished filming the horror movie ‘The Devil’s Light’ with Virginia Madsen for Lionsgate.
Cross was a veteran actor who broke through with the 1981 film ‘Chariots of Fire,’ which won the Oscar for best picture. He had the leading role as Olympic runner Harold Abrahams in the true story about two British athletes at the 1924 Games.
Cross starred alongside Sean Connery and Richard Gere in the 1995 film ‘First Knight.’ He played Spock’s father Sarek in the 2009 reboot of ‘Star Trek’ and portrayed Prince Charles in the television film ‘William & Kate: The Movie’ in 2011.
In other roles, Cross was the leading character in the TV miniseries ‘Solomon’ in 1997. In the same year, he appeared as Captain Nemo in the CBS remake of ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.’
Mapes said Cross stars in the upcoming ‘Last Letter From Your Lover.’