From 'The Fifth Element' to 'Chariots of Fire': Seven of Sir Ian Holm's best on-screen performances

The actor, who famously portrayed Bilbo Baggins, died on Friday at the age of 88

Ian Holm, right, in The Fifth Element. Courtesy Columbia Pictures

"Gandalf, my old friend, this will be a night to remember."

However Sir Ian Holm, who portrayed Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, left fans with more to remember than just the hobbit's 111th birthday.

The British actor, who died on Friday, June 19, at the age of 88, was a stalwart of both stage and screen.

With his uncanny ability to say so much with merely the flick of an eye or the tensing of the jaw, Holm was a decorated performer who received a Tony Award, Laurence Olivier Award and nomination for an Academy Award.

"I've always been a minimalist," he once said. "It was Bogart who once said, 'If you think the right thoughts, the camera will pick it up.' The most important thing in the face is the eyes, and if you can make the eyes talk, you're halfway there."

The actor, who had been battling with Parkinson's disease, was a cornerstone of British theatre and while he many tread the boards no more, you can still remember Holm – and marvel at his range – in a number of big-screen blockbusters.

Here, we round up seven of his most notable on-screen roles to watch in his memory.

'Chariots of Fire' (1981)

In his most critically acclaimed silver-screen role, Holm portrayed pioneering athletics coach Sam Mussabini, who trains Harold Abrahams to compete in the 1924 Olympics. The historical drama, based on a true story, netted Holm a Bafta and a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 1982 Oscars.

'Alien' (1979)

Holm played Ash, the science officer of the spaceship Nostromo, in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror. The role, in which Holm plays the film's android antagonist, helped the actor's star rise in the US as, prior to Alien, he was primarily known in the UK as a thespian.

'Ratatouille' (2007)

Holm voiced Chef Skinner in this Pixar classic, which tells the tale of Remy, a Parisian rat that dreams of becoming a celebrated chef. Skinner is a manipulative, interfering man who seeks to get his revenge on Remy, and his human friend Linguini, after the pair get him kicked out of his restaurant, and Holm nails the spiteful rage of the diminutive chef.

'The Fifth Element' (1997)

In Luc Besson's sci-fi action hit, Holm takes on the role of priest Vito Cornelius, alongside a cast that also includes Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman. In the apocalyptic film, Holm's Cornelius helps Willis's Dallas, a humble taxi driver, recover four stones that will help save Earth from destruction.

'The Madness of King George' (1994)

Holm plays Dr Francis Willis in this historical comedy-drama, adapted from Alan Bennett's play of the same name. Based on the true story of British King George III's deteriorating mental health, Holm plays the monarch's physician, who attempts to 'cure' the royal with forceful tactics.

'The Sweet Hereafter' (1997)

While Holm predominantly played character parts and supporting roles on screen, he took on the lead in Russell Banks’s drama. The actor portrayed lawyer Mitchell Stephens, who takes on a class-action suit filed by the survivors and victims' families of a bus crash.

'The Lord of the Rings' (2001-2003)

It would be remiss not to mention Holm's arguably most famous role, as that of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's fantasy trilogy. In a series of films that exposed Holm to a new generation, he plays the hobbit who stumbles upon a magic ring that belongs to the supposedly vanquished Sauron, before leaving it with his nephew, Frodo, to destroy for good.