The Toecutter and Immortan Joe are dead
Immortan Joe from 'Fury Road' dies; Hugh Keays-Byrne, 73, played villains in two 'Mad Max' movies
Charles Trepany
USA TODAY Dec.2
Hugh Keays-Byrne, the actor best known for playing iconic villains in the
"Mad Max" action film franchise, has died. He was 73.
On Wednesday, Keays-Byrne's manager confirmed to USA TODAY that the Australian-English actor died peacefully Tuesday morning.
Keays-Byrne starred as the villainous Toecutter in the original 1979 "Mad Max" film. He returned to play the warlord Immortan Joe in 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road."
George Miller, who directed both films, remembered Keays-Byrne in a statement to USA TODAY.
"Hugh was formidable, daring, warm and kind - both as an artist and a man," Miller said. "He taught us all so much."
Charlize Theron, whose Imperator Furiosa battled Immortan Joe in "Mad Max: Fury Road," paid tribute to the actor.
"RIP Hugh Keays-Byrne," she wrote on
Twitter. "It’s amazing you were able to play an evil warlord so well cause you were such a kind, beautiful soul. You will be deeply missed my friend."