Beloved New Zealand actor David Weatherley has died aged 85.
The veteran performer was born in England in 1939 and passed away in Auckland on Thursday following a long illness.
Weatherley appeared in many acclaimed productions throughout his career, including Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Xena: Warrior Princess.
The heartbreaking news of his passing was confirmed in an obituary in The New Zealand Herald.
‘David captivated audiences across theatre, radio, film and television, earning international recognition,’ it read.
Weatherly served in the Canadian military in the late 50s and began his career as an actor after moving to New Zealand in 1961.
Beloved New Zealand character actor David Weatherley died earlier this month at age 85. (Pictured in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring)
The celebrated actor got his start in community theatre before moving into voiceover work and then film and television.
He worked in showbusiness for almost fifty years, beginning his career in 1975 on the NZ drama series The Mackenzie Affair, alongside Narnia star James Cosmo.
The actor went on to appear in some of New Zealand’s most famous productions, including Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive and Hercules: Legendary Journeys.
Weatherly also lived in Australia in the late 80s and while Down Under appeared in Home and Away and A Country Practice.
He also voiced a character in the popular 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II.
Throughout his celebrated career, Weatherley acted alongside some of the world’s most renowned performers, including Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen and Lucy Lawless.
He also worked as a theatre actor and wowed audiences across New Zealand in a range of productions, including Henry V and Evita.
His final work was a voice role in the 2019 NZ animated movie Mosley, alongside Lucy Lawless and Temuera Morrison.
Weatherley appeared in many acclaimed productions throughout his career, including Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Xena: Warrior Princess
The heartbreaking news of his passing was confirmed in an obituary in The New Zealand Herald
In recognition of his long career in showbusiness, in 2016 Weatherley was awarded a Scroll of Honour from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand.
Weatherley is survived by his ex-wife Anita and their two children, Richard and Marion.
His passing comes just three months after the death of another beloved New Zealand performer, Glenis Levestam.
The veteran actress, who enjoyed a 40-year career the showbusiness industry, passed away in a care facility after suffering from cancer.
Her death was confirmed in an obituary on Legacy, which wrote: ‘Glenis died peacefully at Roseneath Lifecare on September 14th.
‘Special thanks to the staff of Roseneath for their kind and dedicated care during Glen’s last few months. At Glen’s request a private family service has been held.’
Levestam began her acting career at age 20 in 1966 and worked consistently in New Zealand movies and TV shows for four decades.
She was best known to international audiences for appearing in the iconic 1992 NZ horror-comedy Braindead by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.
She also appeared opposite American actor Kevin Sorbo in the action TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and in the 2004 movie Fracture.