'The Office' Actor Dies At 50; Fans, Series Execs Pay Tribute
British actor Ewen MacIntosh, best known for his role as "Big Keith" on the U.K. version of "The Office," has died from undisclosed causes. He was 50.
Just Right Management sent a statement to CNN Wednesday confirming the unfortunate news of MacIntosh's passing and paying him a tribute.
"It is with a heavy heart I can confirm the very sad news of our client Ewen's passing... Ewen suffered from ill health these past two years and passed peacefully on the 19th [of] February from undisclosed causes," the statement read.
"Ewen was a wonderful actor and an even better human being. He made people laugh and possessed such a kind heart. He touched the lives of all who came into contact with him," the actor's representative said.
Meanwhile, MacIntosh's co-stars paid tribute to him online by sharing heartwarming tweets and messages of condolences.
Extremely sad news. The very funny and very lovely Ewen Macintosh, known to many as 'Big Keith' from The Office, has passed away. An absolute original. RIP. pic.twitter.com/Hhd3zkRVMs
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) February 21, 2024
"Extremely sad news. The very funny and very lovely Ewen MacIntosh, known to many as 'Big Keith' from 'The Office,' has passed away. An absolute original. RIP," Ricky Gervais, who played David Brent on the show, tweeted.
The co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series, Stephen Merchant, also posted a tribute for Ewen on X, formerly Twitter.
So very sad to hear of Ewen MacIntosh’s passing. A lovely, uniquely funny man who played Keith in The Office. So hilarious when we asked him to improv a voicemail message that we wrote more dialogue for him, and he stole every scene he was in. A total one-off. A tragic loss. RIP pic.twitter.com/tEuaUoeWaC
— Stephen Merchant (@StephenMerchant) February 21, 2024
"So very sad to hear of Ewen MacIntosh's passing. A lovely, uniquely funny man who played Keith in 'The Office,'" he wrote.
He continued, "So hilarious when we asked him to [improvise] a voicemail message that we wrote more dialogue for him, and he stole every scene he was in. A total one-off. A tragic loss. RIP."
English actress-comedian Miranda Hart, MacIntosh's co-star on "Miranda," also shared her kind words for the actor after hearing the news that he passed away.
"Just heard the very sad news of the death of Ewen MacIntosh. We were the same age and crossed paths many times as we did our best to be funny and make a living out of it. It wasn't always likely, but we did it, and I am glad we got to do a scene together. Thank you," she wrote.
She added, "Thank you, Eweb, for making me laugh. Such a gift. Thank you for doing a silly scene with me in 'Miranda.' You will be missed."
So sad to hear of the passing of Ewen MacIntosh. We were lucky enough to have him appear in 'Little Britain'. He was sweet and smart and humble and, of course, brilliantly funny.
— Matt Lucas HQ (@RealMattLucas) February 21, 2024
MacIntosh's co-actor in "Little Britain," Matt Lucas, also paid tribute to the actor on X. They worked together in the British sketch comedy series.
"So sad to hear of the passing of Ewen MacIntosh. We were lucky enough to have him appear in 'Little Britain.' He was sweet and smart and humble and, of course, brilliantly funny," Lucas tweeted.
MacIntosh was a Welsh actor and comedian. Though he starred in different English series, he was best known for his role as Keith Bishop, nicknamed "Big Keith," on "The Office."
