Hugh Keays-Byrne
Hugh Keays-Byrne (18 May 1947 – 2 December 2020) was a British-Australian actor and film director. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was best known for playing the main antagonist in two films from the "Mad Max" franchise: Toecutter in "Mad Max" (1979), and Immortan Joe in "" (2015). He also played Toad in the 1974 biker film "Stone", and Grunchlk on the science fiction series "Farscape". Early life. Keays-Byrne was born in Srinagar, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (part of the British Raj then, India now) to British parents; his  family returned to Britain when India was partitioned. He began his career as a stage actor. Between 1968 and 1972, he had parts in Royal Shakespeare Company productions including "As You Like It, The Balcony, King Lear," "Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest or The Enchanted Island," "Doctor Faustus, The Man of Mode," "Troilus and Cressida, Enemies, The Revenger's Tragedy," and "Bartholomew Fair". Career. Keays-Byrne made his first television appearance in 1967 on the British television programme "Boy Meets Girl". He was part of Peter Brook's production of "A Midsummer Night 's Dream" with the Royal Shakespeare Company, which toured Australia in 1973. Keays-Byrne decided to remain in Australia after the tour ended. In 1974, he acted in the TV movie "Essington", then made his first film appearance in the motorcycle picture "Stone" (1974). This was followed by supporting roles in films like "The Man from Hong Kong" (1975), "Mad Dog Morgan" (1976), "The Trespassers" (1976) and "Snapshot" (1979). After his first starring role in the 1978 TV movie "Death Train", Keays-Byrne was cast as the violent gang leader Toecutter in "Mad Max" (1979). Director George Miller had Keays -Byrne and the other actors for the gang travel from Sydney to Melbourne in a group on motorcycles, as there was no money for airplane tickets. In an early international print of the film, Keays-Byrne was dubbed with a bad American Accent, which Miller later regretted. Keays-Byrne then continued to act in post-apocalyptic and science fiction films like "The Chain Reaction" (1980), "Strikebound" (1984), "Starship" (1985) and "The Blood of Heroes" (1989). In 1992, he made his directorial debut and acted in the film "Resistance". He also appeared in TV miniseries adaptations of "Moby Dick" (1998) and  Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1999). Keays-Byrne played Grunchlk in the science fiction television series "Farscape" (1999–2003) and its conclusion "" (2004). George Miller also cast him as the Martian Manhunter in the planned 2009 movie "". Keays-Byrne returned to the "Mad Max" franchise in the 2015 film "" as the main villain Immortan Joe. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning 6, and Keays-Byrne was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. Personal life. Keays-Byrne and his partner Christina were long-time residents of Lisarow. They were also part  of the Macau Light Company, an artist collective based in Centennial Park. His hobbies included painting, writing poetry, and gardening. Death. He died peacefully on 2 December 2020 at Gosford Hospital in NSW, at the age of 73. Filmography. Sources: