Sad news today, as it’s been reported that Michael Byrne died on June 20 at the age of 82. The British character actor is best known for playing Colonel Ernst Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the blue-eyed Nazi who fights Indy on a tank and has one hell of a death scene.
While I will always remember Byrne from The Last Crusade, that was merely a small part of a career which spanned decades. The beginnings of his career were spent in the theater, where he appeared in Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company productions, acting alongside Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Robert Stephens.
He played the crucial, albeit brief, role of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Grindelwald was later portrayed by Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp, and Mads Mikkelsen in the Fantastic Beasts prequel series.
He also played Smythe, a soldier who attempts to rape the wife of William Wallace in Braveheart; Admiral Kelly in Tomorrow Never Dies; and Holocaust survivor Ben Kramer in Apt Pupil.
Other films Byrne appeared in include The Omen, The Eagle Has Landed, A Bridge Too Far, Force 10 from Navarone, The Good Father, Nostradamus, The Saint, Battlefield Earth, The Sum of All Fears, Gangs of New York, Beyond the Sea, Outpost: Black Sun, Mortdecai, and more.
On the small screen, you may have seen Byrne in episodes of Smiley’s People, Yes Prime Minister, Sharpe, Waking the Dead, Coronation Street, Borgia, Wallander, and more.
With his powerful presence and those piercing blue eyes, Byrne was a wonderfully talented character actor. He will be deeply missed. He leaves behind his ex-wife, actress Carole Nimmons, who The Guardian said cared for him towards the end of his life; their daughters, Tara and Bryony, and their grandchildren, Tom, Chloe and Jasmine. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Byrne’s family and friends during this time.