Actor Jay Benedict has died at the age of 68, an announcement on his website confirms.
The star will be recognisable to film fans thanks to his roles in movies including Aliens, in which he played Russ Jordan, and The Dark Knight Rises.
He also appeared in Emmerdale as businessman Doug Hamilton in 1997 and played Ed Sullivan in ITV’s 2014 Cilla mini-series.
A statement on his official website reads: “It is with profound sorrow that we must announce Jay’s death on the 4th of April due to complications arising from a COVID-19 infection.”
‘Allo ‘Allo star Vicki Michelle is among the fans and famous faces to have paid tribute to the actor.
She tweeted: “Shocked to hear one of our most brilliant actors and kind lovely man Jay Benedict has passed.
“Married to my lovely friend Phoebe Scholfield #AlloAllo My heart goes out to her and her family at this sad time.”
Benedict was born in California in 1951 but spent his adult life living and working in Europe.
After almost a decade in the film business, he landed his first big role in Aliens in 1986.
In 2006, he appeared in two episodes of Foyle’s War and when he wasn’t appearing onscreen, Benedict frequently voiced characters in video games.
