Blade Runner star Rutger Hauer has died at the age of 75.
The actor’s agent Steve Kenis said he passed away after a short illness at his home in the Netherlands.
He died on Friday and his funeral was held today.
RIP the great Rutger Hauer: an intense, deep, genuine and magnetic actor that brought truth, power and beauty to his films. My personal favorites: Flesh + Blood, Eureka, The Hitcher, Blade Runner, Ladyhawke and Blind Fury. pic.twitter.com/1F2Via3mLY
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) July 24, 2019
Hauer is best-known for his iconic portrayal of the replicant Roy Batty in the 1982 classic Blade Runner.
He revealed in 2017 that he helped write his monologue in what is arguable the film’s most famous scene.
He told Radio Times that he “took a knife” to the original speech included in the script and rewrote it in a less ‘operatic’ style.
“I've seen things you people wouldn't believe,” he tells Harrison Ford’s character Deckard. “Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
Hauer appeared in string of big-budget films in the 80s – including Ladyhawke, Flesh & Blood and The Hitcher.
Sad to hear Rutger Hauer has passed away. He was always a gentleman, kind and compassionate. Sending our condolences and prayers to his family, friends and fans. pic.twitter.com/wFtZJs9Ui5
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) July 24, 2019
In more recent times, he also appeared in Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins and Sin City.
Director Guillermo Del Toro said the star was an “intense, deep, genuine and magnetic actor.”
