“Peaky Blinders” and “Batman Begins” actor Karl Shiels has died. He was 47.
“Karl was a uniquely talented individual, simultaneously intense, lighthearted, funny, sharp-witted, outspoken and intensely powerful as an actor, director and artistic director of the Theatre Upstairs – where he was such a support and mentor for young writers, actors and directors – and of his own company Semper Fi before that,” she said. “Karl was a remarkable force in Irish theatre and hugely loved and respected by all who worked with him.”
“… Karl was also our friend, the loving father to his two girls, a man loved by so many who knew him and worked with him and he will be deeply mourned by all who did,” the statement continued. “Our hearts are broken but today our thoughts are with his partner Laura and his family, his children and their mother Dearbhla and his many close friends among whom we count ourselves lucky to have been for so many years. And for the rest of us, as Karl himself would so often say……’Onwards…’”
The Irish actor’s cause of death wasn’t immediately clear, though a report claimed he passed away in his sleep.
Shiels starred as Ryan on the 2013 series “Peaky Blinders” and as a thug in Arkham Asylum in “Batman Begins.”