Ian Richardson, the distinguished British actor of stage and screen who will always be treasured for his many memorable turns as a suave villain, died on February 9 of undisclosed causes at his London home. He was 72.

He was born Ian William Richardson on April 7, 1934 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His began his theatrical training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. After his studies, he spent a few years at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before becoming a founding member of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960 and remained with the company for 15 years. One of his best roles in that period was that of Jean-Paul Marat in the groundbreaking play Marat/Sade. Richardson's film debut came in 1967 when the play was adapted to the big screen by Peter Brook.

Richardson was primarily a stage actor for a majority of his career, however, he scored hugely on television in 1979 when he performed in no less than three miniseries: twice he was cast as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery for Churchill and the Generals (1979), and the acclaimed American production Ike and co-starred with Sir Alec Guinness in the popular Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979). He was an effective Sherlock Holmes for a pair of stylish telefilms: The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles (both 1983); and then became a fine supporting player in a line of movies: Brazil (1985), Cry Freedom (1987), and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead(1990). Arguably his finest moment, and certainly his most award-lauded, came when he played the stark, machiavellian politician Francis Urquhart in the elegant BBC production House of Cards (1990). This superb look at the inner working of the House of Commons won Richardson a BAFTA and merited two sequels: To Play the King (1993) and The Final Cut (1995).

Back to the big screen, he was solid as Ambassador Toulon in Madame Butterfly (1993); graceful as always playing Martin Landau's butler in the broad Halle Berry comedy B.A.P.S. (1997); good fun as Cruella de Vil's solicitor Mr. Torte in 102 Dalmatians (2000); and a dignified aritoscrat in Johnny Depp's underrated horror pic From Hell (2001). He had just completed his last film Becoming Jane, about the life of Jane Austen, which is due for release next month. He is survived by his wife 45 years, Maroussia; and their sons, Jeremy and Miles.

by Michael T. Toole