10 Best Ian Holm Performances
Ian Holm was one of the finest actors in the business. Here are some of his greatest roles.
With the sad news that Sir Ian Holm has passed away at the age of 88, it is the perfect time to pay tribute to a long, successful career. This Tony and BAFTA award winning actor had a career that span decades, though in recent years he became very well known for his performance as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.
This venerable actor however has many, many more credits to his name - the villainous robot Ash in 1979's Alien, or the menacing ripper in From Hell - both display something else of his range and talents. He may have had one of the most soothing and calming voices in the industry, but when that same voice was turned to nefarious deeds, it could become as terrifying as the deepest and most booming bass.
His career spanned several decades, with roles here from the '60s to the '00s. With such a body of work behind him, there is thankfully many examples of his skill preserved to enjoy.
Sir Ian Holm was one of the greats of cinema, and here we will outline some of those performances which will immortalize him
10. J.M. Barrie - The Lost Boys
J.M. Barrie was of course the author of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. The Lost Boys, a TV mini series, produced by BBC in 1978 stars Holm as Barrie, depicting not only the genesis of the idea of the story, but also the relationships around him that led to it.
Holm is perfectly cast as the lonely man with the close relationship to the young boys in the story. There is no hint of anything untoward, as if so often the case in later years. Instead, he is a gentle and caring guardian, looking after the Davies boys after they are visited with tragedy - losing both of their parents in quick succession.
The story is interwoven with tragedies like this. Barrie's wife would begin an affair, citing her loneliness as the main reason, securing a reluctant divorce from the author. Much of the story is based on the recollections of Nicholas Lewelyn Davies, the youngest and last surviving Davies child, making it as true a story as can be told from memory.
Holm brings a sweetness and softness to the man, so connected to this family through love and sorrow. While he would lose his wife because of it, he would in essence gain several children, though even that was not without loss.
One of Holm's earliest roles to feature here, this is a must-see.