Adrian Schiller, ‘Victoria’ & ‘The Last Kingdom’ Actor, Dies ‘Suddenly’ at 60
British actor Adrian Schiller, perhaps best known for playing Mr. Penge on the PBS period drama Victoria and Aethelhelm on Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, has died. He was 60.
Schiller’s representatives, Scott Marshall Partners, confirmed the passing, revealing he died “sudden and unexpected” on Wednesday, April 3.
“He has died far too soon, and we, his family and close friends are devastated by the loss,” the statement continued, per The Independent. “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.”
Schiller’s sister, Ginny, also confirmed the passing in a message shared on the actor’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
“Dear all. This is Ginny. I’m so sorry to let you all know that our beloved brother Adrian died suddenly at home yesterday,” she wrote, Thursday, April 4. “He had so many very dear friends – sorry to those of you who are learning about this here. We will say more about funeral and/or memorial plans in due course.”
Dear all. This is Ginny. I’m so sorry to let you all know that our beloved brother Adrian died suddenly at home yesterday. He had so many very dear friends – sorry to those of you who are learning about this here. We will say more about funeral and/or memorial plans in due course
— With Adrian Schiller (@Grumbletwat) April 4, 2024
“For now, we’re taking things one step at a time, supporting Milena [his partner] and Gabriel [his son] as best we can and trying to get our heads around the unimaginable,” she added. “Please don’t send flowers but if anyone wants to make a gesture, we will be setting up Trust for Gabriel and there’s a link below.”
Ginny then shared a link to a GoFundMe page named Gabriel’s Trust, writing, “To honour Adrian we are asking for donations to Gabriel’s Trust, to help support his son Gabriel and partner Milena.”
Born on February 21, 1964, in London, England, Schiller had a prolific acting career over the past 30 years, beginning his on-screen career with a role in the long-running British procedural Prime Suspect.
His other credits include the sitcom The IT Crowd, crime drama Ashes to Ashes, supernatural drama Being Human, sci-fi series Doctor Who, the detective drama Endeavour, and the miniseries Man in an Orange Shirt and Van der Valk.
He also appeared in the films Suffragette, The Danish Girl, and Beauty and the Beast.
In recent years, Schiller was recognized for his roles in the royal drama Victoria, the British crime comedy-drama Death in Paradise, and the historical drama The Last Kingdom. This year, he appeared in episodes of Father Brown and The New Look.
