Adrian Schiller performs the role of Henry Lehman in The Lehman Trilogy. Photo / Getty Images
Adrian Schiller, the British actor, has died at the age of 60.
Schiller was best known for his role as Aethelhelm in the hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom and had a television career that spanned more than 30 years.
In a statement, his agent, Scott Marshall Partners, said: “He has died far too soon, and we, his family and close friends are devastated by the loss.
“His death was sudden and unexpected and no further details around its cause are yet available.”
In the historical drama The Last Kingdom, Schiller starred as an antagonistic ruler who has ambitions for his grandson, but the character ended up taking his own life at the end of the fifth series.
Schiller also made appearances in Doctor Who, Victoria and starred alongside Harry Potter actress Emma Watson in the Disney live-action version of Beauty and the Beast in 2017, but also had enjoyed an illustrious career on the stage.
Just prior to his death, Adrian had been starring in an international tour of three-hour play The Lehman Trilogy and his agents concluded their statement by hailing him as a “prodigiously talented” performer.
They said: “A prodigiously talented actor, he had just returned from Sydney, where he had been appearing in The Lehman Trilogy and was looking forward to continuing the international tour in San Francisco.
“Our deepest condolences go to his family, who ask for privacy at this most difficult of times.”
Earlier this year, Schiller appeared in episodes of the mystery series Death in Paradise and in 2023 he starred in World War II play The White Factory in London.
Ebony Lamb performs Successful Feelings. Made with funding from NZ On Air. Video / Locals Only