Actor Paul Jeffrey, Percival of Excalibur, has died

As Variety reports, English actor Paul Jeffrey died of cancer on June 3 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 68 years old.

“A comedian at heart, Paul continued acting for the rest of his life. He loved French wine and food, had an amazing understanding of history, was a lifelong Arsenal fan and had the distinction of being the nicest guy in the world.“, said the Santa Fe New Mexican about the actor.

Born on February 12, 1955 in Surrey. Paul Jeffrey He grew up and was educated in England. He began his screen career in 1977 and made his professional stage debut the following year at London’s Haymarket Theater Royal as John Daly in a revival of the play NC Hunter. Moon waters.

Specialized careers

Paul Jeffrey At an early age he specialized in classical roles and became known for many performances in literary adaptations and period dramas. Thus, he is best known for his role as Perceval in Excalibur, a 1981 fantasy film written and directed by John Boorman starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson that tells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The feature film won Best Feature at Cannes that year and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Still on the film side, we can see him playing Tarzan’s biological father Lord John Jack Clayton in Greystoke, The Legend of Tarzan by Ralph Richardson in 1984, alongside Christopher Lambert and Andy McDowell. He also played Mr. Lockwood in Peter Kosminski’s 1992 adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes. At the same time, he played in Anna Karenina (1985) with Jacqueline Bisset and Christopher Reeve, or in Thomas Crown (1999) with Pierce Brosnan.

small screen Paul Jeffrey Appeared in, among others, series such as Inspector Morse, Hercule Poirot, The Manager and His Players and more recently Better Call Saul in 2015. He last appeared on screen in 2019 in Perpetual Grace, LTD opposite Ben Kingsley, Jimmy Simpson. and Luis Guzman.

Paul Jeffrey In the early 1990s, he moved to Santa Fe, where he became a real estate agent, although he continued to act on the side. He is survived by his wife Sue Taylor and three children Alex, Oliver and Daisy.