Hugh Keays-Byrne, who famously played two iconic villains in the Mad Max franchise has sadly passed away at age 73.
Keays-Byrne played the antagonist Toecutter in the 1979 original Mad Max by George Miller and was brought back for the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road as Immortan Joe. Brian Tenchard-Smith, who worked with Keays-Byrne in the 1975 film The Man From Hong Kong, shared on Facebook that he had died in hospital last week. “Hugh had a generous heart, offering a helping hand to people in need, or a place to stay to a homeless teenager. He cared about social justice and preserving the environment long before these issues became fashionable. His life was governed by his sense of oneness of humanity. We will miss his example and his friendship.”
As Toecutter, the leader of a biker gang, Keays-Byrne faced off against Mad Max star Mel Gibson. Thirty-six years later, he donned a different persona (and oxygen mask) as the terrifying Immorton Joe, ruler of the desolate wasteland in Mad Max: Fury Road.
His other screen credits include, Stone, Mad Dog Morgan, The Trespassers, Blue Fin, Going Down, Snapshot, Strikebound, The Blood of Heroes” and Les Patterson Saves The World.
He was born in India and moves to England to study theatre, taking part in the Royal Shakespeare Company productions. He toured with the company for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Australia and remained there afterwards to pursue his acting career.
