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‘The Office’ Star Ewen MacIntosh Dies At 50

Published

9 months ago

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Ewen MacIntosh, who played the dry-humored Keith Bishop on the U.K. version of “The Office” series, passed away on Monday at the age of 50.

The news was broken by controversial comedian Ricky Gervais, who played the show’s lead character, who called him an “absolute original.”

“Extremely sad news. The very funny and very lovely Ewen Macintosh, known to many as ‘Big Keith’ from The Office, has passed away,” Gervais, 62 wrote on X. “An absolute original. RIP.”

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Tributes from the cast and fans alike began pouring in, a testament to the cultural legacy left behind by the show and MacIntosh himself. His character inspired the development of Kevin Malone, the slow-going but lovable accountant on the American series player by Brian Baumgartner.

“With great sadness we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved comedy genius Ewen MacIntosh. His family thank all who supported him, especially Willow Green Care Home. There will be a private cremation for family & close friends soon & a celebratory memorial later in the year,” MacIntosh’s talent agency Just Right Management wrote in a statement.

“It is with a heavy heart I can confirm the very sad news of our client Ewen’s passing,” Chelle Just, the owner of the talent management company, told The New York Post. “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.”

Just added that MacIntosh had recently struggled with “ill health for the past two years,” finally passing away from an “undisclosed illness” this week.

“Ewen will be so very dearly missed,” she added.

In February of 2022, MacIntosh photos a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed. “Bad times for me I’m afraid chums. Stat strong out there,” read his post on X.

Stephen Merchant, a co-writer for the British series, tallied his memories working with his colleague in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

“I’m so very sad to hear of the passing of Ewen MacIntosh, a lovely and uniquely funny man who played accountant Keith in The Office. I fondly recall we asked him to improvise an out-of-office message, and he was so hilarious we started writing more and more dialogue for him,” he wrote. “He soon stole every scene he was in. A total one-off. A tragic loss.”

MacIntosh earned his big break as “Big Keith,” turning just two seasons and 14 episodes’ worth of appearances into a launching pad for a career spanning both television and theater. He played series regulars in other popular British shows including “Miranda” and “Little Britain” and repackaged his deadpan humor as Carl, the bored air traffic controller on the radio series “Cabin Pressure.”

Watch some of his fans’ favorite tribute clips from “The Office” below.



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