The Office Actor Ewen MacIntosh Dead At 50
Actor Ewen MacIntosh, who's known for his role as Keith Bishop on the British version of "The Office," has died, The Guardian reports. The news of MacIntosh's death came from a statement from his management company, Just Right Management.
"With great sadness we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved comedy genius Ewen MacIntosh," it read. "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." The cause of MacIntosh's death has not been disclosed and the family is asking for privacy, but Just Right Management's Chelle Just noted that MacIntosh had dealt with health problems for two years.
MacIntosh was a prolific actor with screen credits in many notable projects across multiple genres. While Keith from "The Office" may be his best-remembered role, he also appeared in numerous other comedy projects and had parts in shows and movies that ranged from the long-running soap opera "EastEnders" to Yorgos Lanthimos' dark comedy-drama "The Lobster."
Coworkers are paying tribute to MacIntosh
Ewen MacIntosh was a beloved and respected colleague, and several coworkers from various projects have already paid their tributes to him. These include "The Office" star and co-creator Ricky Gervais, who made it clear how much he admired MacIntosh — who also appeared in Gervais' "After Life," Season 3.
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
Gervais' fellow "The Office" creator Stephen Merchant also took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to pay his respects. "So very sad to hear of Ewen MacIntosh's passing," he wrote. "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."
Apart from MacIntosh's "The Office" associates, costars from other comedy shows he appeared on have paid their respects. Among others, Miranda Hart of "Miranda" fame reminisced MacIntosh on Instagram, and "Little Britain's" Matt Lucas tweeted a heartwarming message.