Some characters in TV and film steal the show every time they’re on screen. Fans of the original UK version of The Office know all about that thanks to “Big Keith,” the accountant played by Ewen MacIntosh. Unfortunately, fans must now say goodbye to the actor. It's being reported that MacIntosh passed away on February 19. Ricky Gervais and others who knew the actor well are now saying farewell.
CNN reports that MacIntosh passed away on Monday. The exact cause of death was not disclosed, but a statement from the actor’s management company states that he had been in ill health for the last couple of years, but passed away peacefully. With the news of Big Kieth’s passing Ricky Gervais, who starred in and co-created The Office, took to Twitter to announce the actor’s death to fans, saying…
Extremely sad news. The very funny and very lovely Ewen Macintosh, known to many as 'Big Keith' from The Office, has passed away. An absolute original. RIP.
The other half of the creative team behind The Office, Stephen Merchant, also reacted to the news of MacIntosh’s death on Twitter. He told a story about the actor doing an improv scene so well that it resulted in the character becoming a bigger part of the show than originally intended. Merchant said…
So very sad to hear of Ewen MacIntosh’s passing. A lovely, uniquely funny man who played Keith in The Office. So hilarious when we asked him to improv a voicemail message that we wrote more dialogue for him, and he stole every scene he was in. A total one-off. A tragic loss. RIP
Fans of The Office will know just how funny MacIntosh was. He was able to be hilarious frequently without saying much of anything. That’s quite a talent. Check out MacIntosh in this scene from The Office for a look at MacIntosh's excellent comedic timing.
Ewen MacIntosh had nearly 80 TV and film credits to his name at the time of his passing, including appearances on Little Britain and in Yorgos Lanthimos' utterly bizarre The Lobster. And yet, the 14 episodes of The Office he appeared in, his first TV role, were far and away his biggest. Despite the series' brief run, it was a major comedic influence, most notably for creating the American version of the show, which ran for a decade.
Based on the responses online from friends and fans, Ewan MacIntosh was truly a well-loved individual who was, by all accounts, just as funny in reality as he was on the screen. He will clearly be missed.
Fans looking for The Office streaming in order to relieve the series don't have to go far. The entire run of the original UK series is available for Hulu subscribers.