Vale: Roger Rees

Welsh-born actor Roger Rees, best known for The West Wing, has died, aged 71.

A cause of death has not been reported other than to say that it came after a brief illness. He had worked until just weeks ago, when declining health forced him to withdraw from his final role opposite Chita Rivera on Broadway in The Visit.

Rees won Olivier and Tony Awards in the early 1980s for his performance as the title character in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. The 10 hour stage production by the Royal Shakespeare Company became Channel 4’s first drama before it moved to Broadway in 1981. A production aired on US TV in 1983, winning an Emmy for Best Limited Series and earning Rees his only Emmy nomination. He appeared in numerous stage productions over a varied career.

Rees later appeared on Cheers as a snooty British millionaire love interest of Kirstie Alley’s Rebecca Howe. He starred in the British sitcom Singles from 1988 to 1991. He also appeared in The West Wing as UK ambassador to the U.S. Lord John Marbury, Elementary and The Good Wife.

Film credits included Star 80, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Frida, The Pink Panther, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Prestige.

Source: Deadline