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Ewen MacIntosh, a British actor and comedian known for his dry portrayal of Keith Bishop, a lackluster accountant in the acclaimed British sitcom “The Office,” died on Monday in the English town of Darlington. He was 50.
His management company, Just Right Management, did not give a cause of death but said that he had suffered from “ill health” in the past two years, and that he had received support from a residential care home before he died.
Mr. MacIntosh appeared in several comedic series and films, including the sketch series “Little Britain.” But it was “The Office” that would be his most famous role, as a socially inept accountant working at a boring branch of a paper company.
Created by the comedians Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the mockumentary series began airing in 2001 and focused on the horrors and trivial lives of office workers. It included two series and a Christmas special, and critics praised its comedic approach. The sitcom’s unflinching mining of office politics, from social missteps and unbearable colleagues to self-important managers, resonated with audiences.
The show later inspired an Emmy-winning American counterpart that ran for nine seasons and attracted its own avid fan base.
“If there’s a theme, it’s about missed opportunity,” Mr. Gervais said in a 2003 interview with The New York Times. “If you take the comedy out, it’s about wasting your life.”
That was a sentiment that Keith Bishop, an accountant with zero interest in the job, embodied, and Mr. MacIntosh imbued him with a listless affect. He chewed gum during a job appraisal, made inappropriate comments to colleagues and had a fondness for eating Scotch eggs.
His indifferent performance was inspired by the 1984 comedy “This Is Spinal Tap,” he said in a 2021 interview with Vice. “I always remember Christopher Guest, playing Nigel Tufnel, would just chew gum and look vacant. I thought, ‘I’ll try that and see what happens,’” he said. “It worked out.”
Ewen Douglas MacIntosh was born in Wales on Dec. 25, 1973. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, where he practiced at improv and in theater groups. After his break in “The Office,” he continued to work as an actor, writer and presenter in the entertainment industry. He performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007, and had appearances in the 2015 Yorgos Lanthimos film “The Lobster,” the Ricky Gervais-created series “After Life,” and the 2017 romantic comedy “Finding Fatimah.”
Information about survivors was not immediately available.
Mr. MacIntosh never completely left Keith Bishop behind. Even two decades after the original series aired, he was still sharing personalized messages to fans in character as Keith upon request.
“I’m very proud I was in it,” he told Vice. “I think it holds up well, and long may it continue.”
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