Ronan Vibert
Ronan David Jackson Vibert was born on 23 February 1964 in Cambridge, England, the son of artists Dilys and David Vibert. Although born in England, he grew up in Penarth, South Wales, living there until he left at eighteen to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 1985.
Vibert built a long and varied career across theatre, radio, television and film. His television work included Lovejoy, Jeeves and Wooster (as Wilmot, Lord Pershore), Cadfael, the BBC's The Buccaneers, Midsomer Murders, Rome, Agatha Christie's Poirot and The Borgias, in which he played Giovanni Sforza. He took the role of Maximilien Robespierre in the BBC's The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999-2000) and later played the Duke of Wellington in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015), as well as appearing in Penny Dreadful and Carnival Row.
His film credits included Shadow of the Vampire with John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe, The Cat's Meow, Roman Polanski's Oscar-winning The Pianist, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, and Saving Mr Banks (2013), in which he played literary agent Diarmuid Russell alongside Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.
On stage, Vibert appeared for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican and at the National Theatre, among many other credits at London venues including the Almeida and the Bush Theatre. He died at a hospital in Florida on 22 December 2022, at the age of 58, following a brief illness.