Fury Road actor Immortan Joe was 73 – Deadline

Hugh Keays-Byrne, best known for his role as Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road and Toecutter in the original 1979 Mad Max movie, died. He was 73 years old.

Representatives for the actor said he passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith, who collaborated with Keays-Byrn on The dragon flies, paid tribute and confirmed the death on Wednesday.

“Hugh had a generous heart, offering a helping hand to those in need, or housing for a homeless teenager. He cared about social justice and the preservation of the environment long before these questions became fashionable. His life was governed by his sense of the unity of humanity. We will miss his example and his friendship. Vale, Hugh, ”Trenchard-Smith wrote in his Facebook post, which can be viewed below.

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Born in 1947 in Kashmir, India, Keays-Bryne began his acting career in Australia, where he earned his first credits in the 1967 television series. Bellbird, created by Barbara Vernon. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Keays-Byrne appeared in a number of different roles, including that of Morrie Grosse in the Trenchard-Smith action film in 1975. The dragon flies.

Keays-Byrne’s acting concerts became more regular in the following years with titles including Ben Hall, Rush and Mad Dog Morgan. However, the actor rose to fame with George Miller’s Mad Max in 1979. In the original action film, Keays-Bryne appeared as Toecutter, the leader of the film’s ruthless biker gang.

More than thirty years later, Miller asked Keays-Byrne to return to the Mad Max universe for her 2015 Charlize Theron-Tom Hardy Mad Max: Fury Road. In the new take on the sci-fi world, Keays-Byrne’s Immortan Joe and his biker gang terrorize Theron’s Furiosa and Hardy’s Max Rockatansky as they seek to free the Wasteland.

In addition to his screen work, Keays-Byrne trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company and toured for the troupe. A midsummer night’s dream. An additional portion of Hollywood credits includes Kangaroo, for love alone, Secret Valley and Farscape.