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Actor Hugh Keays-Byrne, who gained fame for his roles as Toecutter in Mad Max and then as Immortan Joe Mad Max: Fury Road, is no more. Born in Kashmir, India in 1947, the actor passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning at the age of 73.
Keays-Byrne trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He headed to Australia for a production of A Midsummer Night, where he settled after that.
Brian Trenchard-Smith, who worked with Hugh Keays-Byrne in The Man from Hong Kong (1975), shared the sad news via a Facebook post. He wrote, “I am sad to report that our friend Hugh Keays-Byrne passed away in hospital yesterday.” Sharing a picture along with it he wrote, “This photo reflects the innate sense of humor he brought not only to my film but every production he worked on. He was a fine actor and a good friend to Margaret and myself for 46 years.”
Hugh Keays-Byrne, an unsung hero of Aussie cinema, has passed away at age 73. I’m continually floored that he played Toecutter, the central antagonist of 1979’s MAD MAX *and* Immortan Joe, the central antagonist 2015’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Thanks for all the entertainment, sir. pic.twitter.com/55W99w3wzq
— Ted Geoghegan (@tedgeoghegan) December 2, 2020
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He further added in his post, “Hugh had a generous heart, offering a helping hand to people in need, or a place to stay to a homeless teenager. He cared about social justice and preserving the environment long before these issues became fashionable.” He concluded, “We will miss his example and his friendship.”
Writer-director Ted Geoghegan also took to Twitter and shared the sad news of Hugh Keays-Byrne’s demise. He tweeted, “Hugh Keays-Byrne, an unsung hero of Aussie cinema, has passed away at age 73. I’m continually floored that he played Toecutter, the central antagonist of 1979’s MAD MAX *and* Immortan Joe, the central antagonist 2015’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Thanks for all the entertainment, sir.”
Hugh Keays-Byrne, an unsung hero of Aussie cinema, has passed away at age 73. I’m continually floored that he played Toecutter, the central antagonist of 1979’s MAD MAX *and* Immortan Joe, the central antagonist 2015’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Thanks for all the entertainment, sir. pic.twitter.com/55W99w3wzq
— Ted Geoghegan (@tedgeoghegan) December 2, 2020
He added that Hugh Keays-Byrne was ‘an absolutely wonderful human’, who fought very hard for environmental and humanitarian issues.
Hugh Keays-Byrne even featured in movies and television shows like Farscape, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, The Blood of Heroes, The Chain Reaction and much more.
May his soul rest in peace.
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