Ben Keaton, who played Father Austin Purcell in the comedy series Father Ted, died at Lincoln County Hospital on Friday. According to sources, he was 70 years old. According to The Irish Times, his death notice was published on Sunday.
The cause of his death has not been disclosed. According to his ex-wife Polly, his death was sudden and his family is in shock. She said, 'So incredibly sorry to say Ben Keaton died last night.
' Ben Keaton's ex-wife is Polly, his son is Waldo, and his daughter is Daisy. He had brothers Des and Thom and a sister Jeanette. According to The Irish Times, Ben Keaton was an Irish actor.
Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette.
He appeared in Casualty and Doctors. According to sources, he also appeared in Emmerdale and The Bill. According to The Irish Times, he appeared in films including East is East.
According to sources, Ben Keaton co-founded the improv collective South Of The River. He held a senior role at the Creative Academy. According to The Irish Times, he was an accomplished stage performer who devoted much of his career to The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
According to The Irish Times, he performed in theatre productions including Animal Crackers, Harvey, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Hay Fever. According to The Irish Times, Ben Keaton won the 1986 Perrier Comedy Award and two Best Actor honours from the Manchester Evening News. He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Awards.
We are so sorry to hear of the death of Ben Keaton, a wonderful actor who is fondly remembered in our 2008 production of Vertigo. Sending our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
According to The Irish Times, he created Brainiac Live, which won the Olivier Award for Best Family Show. According to The Irish Times, he won an Olivier nomination and a Perrier Award for the solo show Intimate Memoirs of a Taxidermist. According to The Irish Times, Ben Keaton wrote for television, including episodes of Balamory, Gumtree, and Hubbub.
In 2017, Ben Keaton and his son Waldo Fox Kennedy set up a media production company, though its name has not been released. In 2024, Ben Keaton reunited with castmates Patrick McDonnell and Paddy Ward at Comic Con in Belfast. In 2022, Ben Keaton experienced an explosion in online fame after being mobbed by fans at CovCon in Coventry.
He said, 'The video went from 500 views to 50,000 and up and up. Joe now says we are up at half a million views on TikTok. ' He added, 'these days, I focus primarily on writing, directing, and education—but I'm driven by adventure and thrive on variety.
' A Father Ted fan X account said, 'Saddened to hear of the passing of actor Ben Keaton. We knew him as Father Austin Purcell (one of my favourite one-off characters). He was a regular at ComicCon events, so I imagine many got to meet him over the years.
' A fan on X described Ben Keaton as 'a great actor and comedian - there can be little praise higher (if at all) in that he stole the scene every time he appeared in Father Ted. ' The Nottingham Playhouse issued a statement: 'We are so sorry to hear of the death of Ben Keaton, a wonderful actor who is fondly remembered in our 2008 production of Vertigo.