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Who was Ewen MacIntosh? Exploring the Life and Career of The Office UK Actor as He Dies at 50
The late Ewen MacIntosh, who portrayed the endearing misfit Keith in Ricky Gervais’s landmark BBC comedy The Office, passed away. He was fifty years old.
Ewen Macintosh, who played Big Keith in The Office UK, passed away last month. His family released a statement saying, “With great sadness, we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved comedy genius Ewen MacIntosh. His family thanks all who supported him, especially Willow Green Care Home.” No cause of death was revealed, but JustRight noted there will be a private cremation for family and close friends “soon” and a celebratory memorial later in the year.
Who was Ewen Macintosh?
MacIntosh was born on December 25, 1973, in Merionethshire, Wales. After attending Derbyshire’s Repton School, he studied linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. Throughout college, he was an active member of The Improverts and the Edinburgh University Theatre Company.
When MacIntosh was chosen to play sardonic accountant Keith Bishop on The Office, it was his big break in television. Additionally, he appeared on several shows, including Little Britain and Miranda. In 2007, he and Tim FitzHigham performed as a double act at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He appeared in a charity music video for Chris Rea’s song Driving Home for Christmas in 2009, along with several other celebrities. He appeared in the West End production of Geek! A New Musical at the Tristan Bates Theatre in April 2013. He also played the monotonous air traffic controller Carl in the radio sitcom Cabin Pressure and made an appearance in a national TV commercial for AO World in 2013.
In the 2014 film The Confusion of Tongues, he played Barry the window cleaner. In 2015, Yorgos Lanthimos’ film The Lobster included him. He appeared in the British romance comedy Finding Fatimah in 2017 as Lionel. In 2020, he appeared on Celebrity Come Dine with Me’s second season (Cheshire) alongside Jay Hutton, Steven Arnold, Dawn Ward, and Charlotte Crosby. Additionally, MacIntosh hosted several music shows on Now 80s and Now 90s.
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Macintosh gave life to the character of Big Keith
To prepare for his role as Big Keith, MacIntosh enrolled in a course for market research at a call center. He developed a cult following as the unenthusiastic, dry man of few words who interrupts people in mid-sentence with inappropriate remarks, such as explaining what “fanny packs” mean in the US or proposing that the Christmas party should include sex workers. Usually, Big Keith, as his coworkers dubbed him, would bite into a scotch egg after these instances. MacIntosh would have to repurpose the eggs after a series of “takes,” “turning them around to hide the bites,” he explained.
He appeared in a brief cameo in After Life’s third and last season in 2022. The same year, he appeared as Robert P McCulloch on a YouTube episode of Jay Foreman’s Unfinished London. Gervais was one of the people who paid respects to the actor, whose passing was verified by JustRight Management, his talent agency. On social media, Gervais, who costarred with MacIntosh in The Office from 2001 to 2003, expressed his sadness at the death, calling it “unfortunate news. Big Keith from The Office, Ewen Macintosh, was a really hilarious and loving man who passed away. A true original. RIP,” he continued.
The deadpan delivery of MacIntosh’s character, Keith Bishop, in The Office was well-known. The role played a significant role in several well-known episodes, such as “Big Keith’s Appraisal,” in which David Brent, Gervais’ office branch manager, evaluated the character’s advantages and disadvantages. The Office repeats-obsessed UKTV channel Gold released the following statement: “We at Gold are saddened to hear that Ewen MacIntosh has passed away at 50. As Keith on The Office, we adored him and had the good fortune to collaborate with him on the channel throughout the years. We pray for his family and friends during this trying time.”
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