Adrian Schiller: Death In Paradise and The Last Kingdom actor dies 'suddenly' aged 60

Actor Adrian Schiller, who appeared in shows such as ‘Death In Paradise’ and ‘Doctor Who’, has dies “suddenly” at the age of 60.

A statement from Shiller’s agency, Scott Marshall Partners, who represented the actor for 30 years, confirmed his death. It read: “He has died far too soon, and we, his family and close friends are devastated by the loss. His death was sudden and unexpected and no further details around its cause are yet available. A prodigiously talented actor, he had just returned from Sydney, where he had been appearing in The Lehman Trilogy and was looking forward to continuing the international tour in San Francisco.” 

The 60-year-old was known to audiences for his role in the popular BBC dramas, as well as a huge range of other television projects. He appeared as Aethelhelm in Viking-epic The Last Kingdom as well as the hit ITV historical drama Victoria as Mr Penge, and appeared in a 2011 Doctor Who episode.

He was most recently seen on television screens in the BBC detective series Father Brown during a January episode. He previously appeared in the cult favourite detective series Death In Paradise, as Pasha Verdinikov in two 2021 episodes.

Go beyond just reading the story - sign up for the National World newsletter

Schiller also starred in huge hits on the silver screen, including as Monsieur D'arque in the Disney live-action remake of ‘Beauty and The Beast’, as well as portraying former Prime Minister David Lloyd George in ‘Suffragette’.

An accomplished stage actor also, the National Theatre paid tribute to Schiller, with theatre director Rufus Norris saying in a statement: “We are saddened and shocked to have lost our company member and friend, Adrian Schiller. Adrian was a wonderful actor, and the National Theatre had the pleasure of working with him throughout the breadth of his career. His recent performance as Henry Lehman in the Australian premiere of The Lehman Trilogy was superb and his presence within the company will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”