Beloved New Zealand actor David Weatherley has died aged 85. The veteran performer was born in England in 1939 and passed away in Auckland on Thursday following a long illness. Weatherley appeared in many acclaimed productions throughout his career, including Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Xena: Warrior Princess.
![[Weatherley appeared in many acclaimed productions throughout his career, including Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Xena: Warrior Princess]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/21/93209729-14199131-Weatherley_appeared_in_many_acclaimed_productions_throughout_his-a-1_1734385566078.jpg)
The heartbreaking news of his passing was confirmed in an obituary in The New Zealand Herald. 'David captivated audiences across theatre, radio, film and television, earning international recognition,' it read. Weatherly served in the Canadian military in the late 50s and began his career as an actor after moving to New Zealand in 1961.
![[The heartbreaking news of his passing was confirmed in an obituary in The New Zealand Herald]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/21/93209697-14199131-image-a-54_1734384534861.jpg)
Beloved New Zealand character actor David Weatherley died earlier this month at age 85. (Pictured in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring). The celebrated actor got his start in community theatre before moving into voiceover work and then film and television.
He worked in showbusiness for almost fifty years, beginning his career in 1975 on the NZ drama series The Mackenzie Affair, alongside Narnia star James Cosmo. The actor went on to appear in some of New Zealand's most famous productions, including Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive and Hercules: Legendary Journeys.
Weatherly also lived in Australia in the late 80s and while Down Under appeared in Home and Away and A Country Practice. He also voiced a character in the popular 2004 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. Throughout his celebrated career, Weatherley acted alongside some of the world's most renowned performers, including Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen and Lucy Lawless.
