Father Ted actor dies aged 70 as fans mourn wonderful | UK News

Father Ted actor Ben Keaton has died aged 70. Keaton, who performed Father Austin Purcell in the cherished comedy sequence, alongside roles in Casualty and Doctors, handed away at Lincoln County Hospital on Friday, it has been confirmed, The Mirror stories.

His death discover states: “Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette.”

Paying tribute, the Nottingham Playhouse remarked: “We are so sorry to hear of the death of Ben Keaton, a wonderful actor who is fondly remembered in our 2008 production of Vertigo. Sending our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.”

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Meanwhile, a Father Ted fan X account posted: “Saddened to hear of the passing of actor Ben Keaton. We knew him as Father Austin Purcell (one of my favourite one-off characters). He was a regular at ComicCon events, so I imagine many got to meet him over the years. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and many fans.”

Beyond his tv profession, the Irishman was an achieved stage performer. He devoted a lot of his skilled profession to The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, that includes in a various vary of productions from American Buffalo to Hay Fever.

A multi-talented performer, he co-founded the improv collective South Of The River and held a senior position at the Creative Academy. His trophy cupboard demonstrated his versatility, that includes the 1986 Perrier Comedy Award and two Best Actor honours from the Manchester Evening News, before incomes a nomination for the distinguished Laurence Olivier Awards.

Paying tribute to him in a post on X (previously Twitter), one fan penned: “RIP Ben Keaton. A great actor and comedian – there can be little praise higher (if at all) in that he stole the scene every time he appeared in Father Ted. Off to the great parochial house in the sky.”

In 2022, Keaton skilled an unexpected explosion in online fame after being mobbed by supporters requesting autographs at the CovCon event in Coventry. The pleasure escalated when he teamed up with fellow Father Ted solid members Joe Rooney (Father Damo), Michael Redmond (Father Stone), and Patrick McDonnell (Eoin McLove) to report an unplanned TikTok video.

Reflecting on the viral phenomenon, Keaton told The Irish Sun: “The video went from 500 views to 50,000 and up and up. Joe now says we are up at half a million views on TikTok. It’s incredible.” H

e admitted he was frequently amazed by the enduring legacy of his transient, scene-stealing efficiency as the world’s most boring priest. Drawing parallels to his other performances, Keaton noticed: “I appeared in Casualty for three years, nobody cares. I did three minutes on Father Ted and it’s all people want to talk about and something which just sails through time.”