British actor Adrian Schiller, whose career included roles in the historical dramas “The Last Kingdom” and “Victoria,” has died.
Scott Marshall Partners, an agency which represented Schiller for more than 30 years, confirmed to The Times that the actor died Wednesday. Additional details, including a cause of death and his survivors, were not revealed. He was 60.
“He has died far too soon, and we, his family and close friends are devastated by the loss,” Scott Marshall Partners said in a statement shared with The Times. “His death was sudden and unexpected and no further details around its cause are yet available.”
The agency added that the “prodigiously talented actor” recently returned from Sydney where he performed in a production of the Sam Mendes-directed play “The Lehman Trilogy.” Schiller was “looking forward to continuing” the play’s international run, which included shows at San Francisco’s Toni Rembe Theater from May 25 to June 23.
The National Theatre, which co-produces the play, mourned the loss of the actor in a statement posted early Thursday morning on X (formerly Twitter). Theater director Rufus Norris remembered Schiller as a friend, “wonderful actor” and frequent collaborator.
“His recent performance as Henry Lehman in the Australian premiere of ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ was superb and his presence within the company will be greatly missed,” Norris said before expressing condolences for Schiller’s loved ones.
Schiller, who was born on Feb. 21, 1964, pursued a variety of opportunities throughout his acting career, ranging from TV and film to theater and video games. In recent years, however, Schiller was best known for his work on historical dramas “The Last Kingdom” and “Victoria.”
In “The Last Kingdom” (which found a new home at Netflix for its later seasons), Schiller starred in 25 episodes as the wealthy “ealdorman” Aethelhelm. “The Last Kingdom” premiered on the BBC in 2015 and streamed its final season on Netflix in March 2022.
For BBC’s “Victoria,” Schiller starred as Cornelius Penge, a footman who served the royal family at both Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace. The series, which ran from 2016 to 2019, starred “Doctor Who” actor Jenna Coleman in the title role.
Television made up a majority of Schiller’s decadeslong career, which began in the early ’90s, according to IMDb. The actor’s additional TV credits include minor roles in “Raised by Wolves,” “Genius” and “Doctor Who.”
Schiller’s on-screen credits also include films “The Danish Girl,” “Bright Star” and Disney’s 2017 live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast.” Additionally, Schiller lent his voice to the “Assassin’s Creed,” “Castlevania” and “Fable” video game franchises.
On Thursday morning, a person who said they were Schiller’s sister Ginny announced the actor’s death on his X profile. In a pair of posts, Ginny also said plans for a memorial will be shared at a later date and shared a link to support Schiller’s partner Milena and his young son Gabriel.
The fundraiser, organized by Schiller’s family, raised more than 5,200 pounds (about $6,600) on Tuesday, far exceeding its original goal of 100 pounds.
“Adrian enjoyed a varied and successful career across all media,” Scott Marshall Partners added in its statement. “Our deepest condolences go to his family, who ask for privacy at this most difficult of times.”
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