Ian Abercrombie

Ian Abercrombie (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was a prolific English actor whose career spanned more than six decades and encompassed stage, film, television and voice work. Born in Grays, Essex, he began his artistic life as a dancer during the final years of World War II, winning bronze, silver and gold medals in competitive stage dancing before expanding into theatre across the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. At the age of seventeen he emigrated to the United States, where his American stage debut came in 1951 with Stalag 17 alongside Jason Robards and Jules Munshin, launching a relentless series of summer‑stock, regional and off‑Broadway productions that showcased his versatility from revues to Shakespeare. Drafted into the United States Army in 1957, Abercrombie served in West Germany with Special Services and directed the continental premiere of Separate Tables, an experience that honed his directing instincts. His screen breakthrough arrived in the early 1990s when he portrayed the grotesque yet comical Wiseman in Sam Raimi’s cult classic Army of Darkness, a role that cemented his status among genre fans. Subsequent memorable television appearances included the sharply witty Justin Pitt, Elaine Benes’s demanding boss on Seinfeld, the dignified Alfred Pennyworth on Birds of Prey, and Rupert Cavanaugh, the butler on Desperate Housewives. In animated projects he lent his resonant voice to characters such as Ganthet in Green Lantern: The Animated Series and the iconic Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, completing most of season five before his death. His final film role was as the supporting character Ambrose in the Oscar‑winning animated feature Rango (2011). Abercrombie’s personal life featured two marriages—first to Elizabeth Romano (1956‑1978) and later to Gladys Abercrombie (1984‑2012)—and although he had no publicly recorded children, his artistic legacy endures through the many beloved characters he inhabited.