STARBURST is saddened to learn Anglo-Australian actor Hugh Keays-Byrne has passed away.

The actor burst onto the burgeoning Australian exploitation scene with the 1974 film Stone, where he played Toad and the 1979 classic Mad Max, in which he was the memorable villain Toecutter. He would return to the George Miller’s franchise in 2015 when he once again played the main villain Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Keays-Byne also had a regular role as Grunchik in the popular series Farscape. Other appearances include cult films Mad Dog Morgan (1976), Snapshot (1979), and The Chain Reaction (1980). He won a Logie Award – which celebrates Australian television – for Best Actor for the series Rush in 1977.

STARBURST sends our thoughts to his family and friends.