Hugh Keays-Byrne (18 May 1947 – 2 December 2020) was a British-Australian actor and film director. A former member of the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, he was best known for playing the main antagonist in two films from the ''Mad Max'' franchise: Toecutter in ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (1981, released in the Unite ...

'' (1979), and

Immortan Joe Immortan Joe is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 2015 film '' Mad Max: Fury Road''. He is portrayed by Hugh Keays-Byrne. Immortan Joe also appears in the 2015 prequel comic series of the same name, and will return in the 202 ...

in '' Mad Max: Fury Road'' (2015). He also played Toad in the 1974 biker film ''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'', and Grunchlk on the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

series ''

Farscape ''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was ...

''.

Early life

Keays-Byrne was born in

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...

, in the state of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

(part of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

then,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

now) to British parents; his family returned to Britain when India was partitioned. He began his career as a stage actor. Between 1968 and 1972, he had parts in

productions including ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 h ...

The Balcony ''The Balcony'' (french: Le Balcon) is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It is set in an unnamed city that is experiencing a revolutionary uprising in the streets; most of the action takes place in an upmarket brothel that functions as a ...

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

,'' ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

, The Tempest or The Enchanted Island,'' '' Doctor Faustus,

The Man of Mode ''The Man of Mode, or, Sir Fopling Flutter'' is a Restoration comedy by George Etherege, written in 1676. The play is set in Restoration London and follows the womanizer Dorimant as he tries to win over the young heiress Harriet and to disenga ...

,'' ''

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Me ...

Enemies Enemies or foes are a group that is seen as forcefully adverse or threatening. Enemies may also refer to: Literature * ''Enemies'' (play), a 1906 play by Maxim Gorky * '' Enemies, A Love Story'', a 1966 novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer * '' Enem ...

The Revenger's Tragedy ''The Revenger's Tragedy'' is an English-language Jacobean revenge tragedy which was performed in 1606, and published in 1607 by George Eld. It was long attributed to Cyril Tourneur, but "The consensus candidate for authorship of ''The Reve ...

,'' and ''Bartholomew Fair''.

Career

Keays-Byrne made his first television appearance in 1967 on the British television programme ''Boy Meets Girl''. He was part of

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...

's production of ''

'' with the Royal Shakespeare Company, which toured Australia in 1973. Keays-Byrne decided to remain in Australia after the tour ended. In 1974, he acted in the TV movie ''

Essington Essington is a village and civil parish in South Staffordshire, England, located near the city of Wolverhampton and towns of Walsall, Bloxwich, Cannock and Brewood. The villages of Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Coven, Penkridge and Featherston ...

'', then made his first film appearance in the motorcycle picture ''

'' (1974). This was followed by supporting roles in films like ''

The Man from Hong Kong ''The Man from Hong Kong'' (), originally released in the US as ''The Dragon Flies'', is a 1975 action film written and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith in his directorial debut and starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby, with Hugh Keay ...

'' (1975), '' Mad Dog Morgan'' (1976), ''

The Trespassers ''The Trespassers'' is a 1976 film directed by John Duigan and starring Judy Morris and Briony Behets. Premise In 1970, political journalist Richard lives with Penny but is having an affair with actress Dee. The two women meet and become friend ...

'' (1976) and '' Snapshot'' (1979). After his first starring role in the 1978 TV movie ''

Death Train ''Death Train'' (also known as ''Detonator'') is a 1993 American made-for-television action-thriller disaster film featuring Pierce Brosnan, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Lee, Ted Levine, and Alexandra Paul. The script was based on an Alastair ...

'', Keays-Byrne was cast as the violent gang leader Toecutter in ''

'' (1979). Director George Miller had Keays-Byrne and the other actors for the gang travel from

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

in a group on motorcycles, as there was no money for airplane tickets. In an early international print of the film, Keays-Byrne was dubbed with a bad American accent, which Miller later regretted. Keays-Byrne then continued to act in

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

and

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstel ...

s like ''

The Chain Reaction ''The Chain Reaction'' is a 1980 Australian science fiction thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an e ...

'' (1980), ''

Strikebound ''Strikebound'' is a 1984 Australian film directed by Richard Lowenstein and based on the Wendy Lowenstein novel ''Dead Men Don't Dig Coal''. The film got several AFI Award nominations and won in the Best Achievement in Production Design categor ...

'' (1984), ''

Starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1882 in '' Oahspe: A Ne ...

'' (1985) and '' The Blood of Heroes'' (1989). In 1992, he made his directorial debut and acted in the film '' Resistance''. He also appeared in TV miniseries adaptations of ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...

'' (1998) and ''

Journey to the Centre of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'' (1999). Keays-Byrne played Grunchlk in the

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

'' (1999–2003) and its conclusion '' Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars'' (2004). George Miller also cast him as the

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...

in the planned 2009 movie '' Justice League: Mortal''. Keays-Byrne returned to the ''Mad Max'' franchise in the 2015 film '' Mad Max: Fury Road'' as the main villain

. The film was nominated for 10

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, including Best Picture, winning 6, and Keays-Byrne was nominated for the

MTV Movie Award for Best Villain This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Villain. In 2012, the award was renamed Best On-Screen Dirt Bag, though the Best Villain moniker was reinstated the following year. Two of the winners (Denzel Washington a ...

Personal life

Keays-Byrne and his partner Christina were long-time residents of Lisarow. They were also part of the Macau Light Company, an

artist collective An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the need ...

based in Centennial Park. His hobbies included painting, poetry, and gardening.

Death

Keays-Byrne died peacefully on 2 December 2020 at Gosford Hospital in NSW, at the age of 73. His death was confirmed on social media by his friend, ''The Man from Hong Kong'' director

Brian Trenchard-Smith Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith (born 1946) is an English-Australian filmmaker and author, known for his idiosyncratic and satirical low-budget genre films. His filmography covers action, science fiction, martial arts, dystopian fiction, comedy, ...

Filmography

Films

*''

'' (1974) - Toad *''

'' (1975) - Morrie Grosse *'' Mad Dog Morgan'' (1976) - Simon *''

'' (1976) – Frank *'' Blue Fin'' (1978) – Stan *''

'' (1979) – '' Toecutter'' *'' Snapshot'' (1979) – Linsey *''

'' (1980) – Eagle *''

Ginger Meggs ''Ginger Meggs'', Australia's most popular and longest-running comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Jimmy Bancks. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-class ...

'' (1982) – Captain Hook *'' Going Down'' (1983) – Bottom, the biker *''

Where the Green Ants Dream ''Where the Green Ants Dream'' (german: Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen, links=no) is a 1984 German film directed by Werner Herzog, made in Australia. Based on a true story about Indigenous land rights in Australia but slated as a mixture of fac ...

'' (1984) – Mining executive *''

'' (1984) – Idris Williams *''

Lorca and the Outlaws ''Starship'', also known as ''Lorca and the Outlaws'', and ''2084'', is a 1984 science fiction film directed by Roger Christian from a screenplay by Christian and Matthew Jacobs, and starring John Tarrant, Deep Roy, Donogh Rees, and Cassandra ...

'' (1984) – Danny *'' Burke & Wills'' (1985) – Ambrose Kyte *'' For Love Alone'' (1986) – Andrew Hawkins *''

Kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

'' (1987) – Kangaroo *''

Les Patterson Saves the World ''Les Patterson Saves the World'' is a 1987 Australian comedy film starring Barry Humphries as his stage creations Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage. Plot The uncouth Sir Les Patterson teams up with Dame Edna Everage (both played by Ba ...

'' (1987) – Inspector Farouk *'' The Blood of Heroes'' (1989) – Lord Vlle *'' Resistance'' (1992) – Peter *''Huntsman 5.1'' (1999) – Bain *''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'' (2011) – Man 3 *'' Mad Max: Fury Road'' (2015) – ''

'' (Final film role)

Television

*''Boy Meets Girl'' (1967) – Leslie *'' Rush'' (1974–1976) *''

'' (1974, TV Movie) *''

The Tichborne Affair ''The Tichborne Affair'' is a 1977 Australian television film directed by Carl Schultz and starring Hugh Keays-Byrne, Neil Fitzpatrick, and Ken Goodlet. It is based on the Tichborne case.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970–19 ...

'' (1975, TV Movie) – Tichborne *'' The Outsiders'' (1976) – Doyle *''

Say You Want Me ''Say You Want Me'' is a 1977 Australian film directed by Oliver Howes. It is about a woman who is raped by one of her husband's business associates.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p136 Refer ...

'' (1977, TV Movie) – Harry Kirby *''

'' (1978, TV Movie) – Ted Morrow *''

Barnaby and Me ''Barnaby and Me'' is a 1978 Australian made-for-television film about a girl and her talking koala Barnaby who are pursued by criminals.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p11 The film was one ...

'' (1978, TV Movie) – Huggins *'' Secret Valley'' (1980, TV Movie) – William Whopper *'' Runaway Island'' (1982, TV Movie) – Lucas the Ratter *''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (1987, TV Movie) (voice) *''Badlands 2005'' (1988, TV Movie) – Moondance *''

Dadah Is Death ''Dadah Is Death'' is a 1988 Australian film based on the Barlow and Chambers execution in Malaysia in 1986.Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 pp. 72–73 It was a 2-part mini series running 2 hours per part.Ed. ...

'' (1988, TV Movie) – Hammed *'' Joe Wilson'' (1988, TV Mini-Series) – Bob Galletley *''Singapore Sling: Old Flames'' (1995, TV Movie) *''

'' (1998, TV Mini-Series) – Mr. Stubb *''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'' (1999, TV Mini-Series) – McNiff *''

'' (2001) – Grunchlk'''' *'' Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars'' (2004) – Grunchlk''''

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Hugh Keays-Byrne at Theatricalia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keays-Byrne, Hugh 1947 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male stage actors English film directors English male television actors English male film actors Logie Award winners People from Srinagar English emigrants to Australia 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors Australian male television actors Australian male film actors Australian film directors