Sir Ian Holm, renowned for his work in the Lord of the Rings, Alien and Chariots of Fire, has passed away at the age of 88.

According to his family, Holm had been battling Parkinson's disease leading to his death. A statement from his relatives reads: "He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer... Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely." With a career spanning 57 years until his retirement in 2014, Holm is remembered for roles such as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film series, Ash in Ridley Scott's Alien, and his Academy Award-nominated turn as Sam Mussabini in Chariots of Fire.

Holm was born in 1939 to Scottish parents and was raised in Essex. Following his education, Holm joined an amateur dramatics society when his parents retired to Worthing. A chance encounter with Shakespearean actor Henry Baynton while visiting the dentist led to Holm being trained for admission for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Although Holm secured a place in the Academy in 1949, he was called up for National Service a year later and was placed at Klagenfurt in Austria, where he rose to the rank of Lance Corporal. Holm's studies were interrupted a second time when he went on an acting tour of the United States in 1952. He would eventually graduate from RADA in 1953.

In addition to being an established star of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Holm won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play when he played Lenny in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming. Holm went on to make a name for himself on the small and silver screen. In fact, his first credited film role as Flynn in The Bofors Gun earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Despite things going well, Holm nearly quit acting in 1976 when he was struck by a severe case of stage fright during a performance of The Iceman Cometh. Thankfully, he stuck his chosen profession and portrayed Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie in the BBC's miniseries of The Lost Boys (1978), and then the villainous Ash in 1979's Alien.

His portrayal of athletics coach Sam Mussabini in Chariots of Fire not only earned him the Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor, but also a special award at the Cannes Film Festival. Back in the United Kingdom, the role bagged Holm the BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor. Holm is remembered for a number of supporting roles in cult movies. He added Time Bandits (1981) and Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985) to his CV, but some will always remember him as the lovable priest Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element (1997).

In 1981, Holm played Frodo Baggins for the BBC's radio adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Some 20 years later, he'd return to The Shire for a very different role and would become known as Bilbo Baggins thanks to 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. He again reprised the role as an older Bilbo in 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and 2014's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The Battle of the Five Armies is Holm's last credited acting role before he retired.

Although movies became Holm's man area of expertise, he also famously trod the boards in 1998 as the titular Lear in King Lear at London's National Theatre. The performance gave Holm the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and he was knighted a year later for his “services to drama." As well as having five children and one grandchild, Holm was married four times. He once appeared alongside his then-wife Penelope Wilton in the 1992 miniseries of The Borrowers. Holm married artist Sophie de Stempel in 2003 - who reportedly documented his last days with a series of pastel portraits. Holm leaves behind a legacy on stage and screen.