Chariots of Fire actor Ben Cross dies aged 72
Actor Ben Cross, who was best known for playing athlete Harold Abrahams in the film Chariots of Fire, has died at the age of 72.
His other roles included the leads in HBO's first ever mini-series, The Far Pavilions, in 1984, and the 1991 horror series Dark Shadows.
His representatives said he had died "suddenly" following a short illness.
His daughter Lauren wrote on Facebook that she was "utterly heartbroken" that her "darling father" had died.
She said he had been "sick for a while" but there had been a "rapid decline over the past week".
His representatives said he had just finishing shooting horror film The Devil's Light and later this year will appear in a leading role in the romantic drama film Last Letter From Your Lover.
He was born Harry Bernard Cross in London to a working-class Catholic family.
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Rada), he moved from the stage to screen and took a minor role in the 1977 war film A Bridge Too Far, which starred Sir Sean Connery and Sir Michael Caine.
He became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the same year, before gaining wider acclaim as Billy Flynn - the lawyer representing murderer Roxie Hart - in a 1978 version of the stage musical Chicago.
It was a performance that was widely believed to have earned him his role in 1981's Chariots Of Fire, which went on to win four Oscars including best picture.
Cross played Jewish runner Harold Abrahams in the film, which was based on the true story of two British men racing for Olympic gold in 1924.
BBC religion editor Martin Bashir said Cross's portrayal of Abrahams had "captured the burden of being an outsider".
Line ID @ufa98v2
