Actor and David Lynch favorite Freddie Jones dies at 91
British actor Freddie Jones has died at the age of 91.
Jones’ many credits included the Hammer horror films Frankenstein Must be Destroyed (1969) and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), Federico Fellini’s And the Ship Sails On (1983), the fantasy film Krull (1983), and Barry Levinson’s Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). In recent years, he had become familiar to fans of the British soap Emmerdale for playing the role of Sandy Thomas.
Jones was also a favorite of director David Lynch, who cast him in the films The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984), and Wild at Heart (1990).
Lynch tweeted a tribute to Jones on Wednesday.
“Dear Twitter Friends, I loved, loved, loved Freddie Jones,” wrote the filmmaker. “Man-o-man will he be missed.”
Actor Stephen Fry has also paid his respects to Jones via Twitter.
“Had the extreme pleasure of seeing Freddie Jones as ‘Sir’ in the original production of The Dresser at the Royal Exchange Theatre and then the honour of working with him on the movie of Cold Comfort Farm,” Fry wrote. “An exquisite and utterly lovable actor and man.”
Jones’ agent told the BBC that he died Tuesday after a short illness. His surviving relatives include his son, the actor Toby Jones, whose credits include the Hunger Games movies, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Christopher Robin (Owl).
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