'The Crown' actor Stephen Greif passes away at 78

Veteran actor Stephen Greif, best known for his roles in projects like BBC's Blake's 7, Citizen Smith and EastEnders as well as Netflix's The Crown, has passed away at age of 78.

His representatives announced the news of his demise via a Twitter post and no cause of death was revealed.

With great sadness we announce the death of our wonderful client Stephen Greif.

His extensive career included numerous roles on screen and stage, including at the National Theatre, RSC and in the West End.

We will miss him dearly and our thoughts are with his family and friends x pic.twitter.com/sYcwILCvNr

— Michelle Braidman Associates (@TeamBraidman) December 26, 2022

His death was announced online on Monday by his representatives at Michelle Braidman Associates. "With great sadness we announce the death of our wonderful client Stephen Greif. His extensive career included numerous roles on screen and stage, including at the National Theatre, RSC and in the West End. We will miss him dearly, and our thoughts are with his family and friends," the talent agency's Twitter site said.

Greif had a long career that included work in theatre, television, and film. He was a member of the National Theatre Company at the Old Vic and Southbank after attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, according to the UK Press Association as quoted in a report by Deadline. He was born in Hertfordshire.

According to Deadline, a US-based news outlet, Greif began his career as a theatre actor in the 1960s and early 1970s. He transitioned to television and was cast as Travis, a space commander, in the sci-fi adventure series Blake's 7. Along with Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, and Sally Knyvette, the series aired from 1978 until 1981.

Other television shows like Citizen Smith, Tales of the Unexpected, Doctors, Coronation Street, The Bill, and EastEnders were among Greif's other credits. Additionally, he made an appearance in The Last Days of Pompeii, an ABC miniseries, and an episode of Hart to Hart on ABC. In recent years, he played Speaker of the House Sir Bernard Weatherill in Season 4 of The Crown and made an appearance in the TNT short series The Alienist.

The Woman in Gold from 2015, Casanova and The Upside of Anger from 2005, and Spartan from 2004 were among the films with feature credits.