Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Pays Tribute to Ben Cross

On Tuesday, Ben Cross, the English actor who starred in the 1981 Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire and played Sarek in 2009’s Star Trek reboot died at the age of 72. Zachary Quinto, the actor who played Sarek’s son Spock in Star Trek, took to Instagram to pay tribute to Cross. Quinto writes, “so sorry to hear of the passing of ben cross. he played spock’s father sarek in our first trek movie (among many other indelible roles) and he was always so incredibly thoughtful and generous and engaging. it being my first film i always felt considered and cared for by him in our scenes together. he was a real gentleman and a true talent. sending him and his family much love and light. rest in peace dear ben.”

Born Harry Bernard Cross in London in 1947, Cross began acting in school plays in grammar school. He left school and worked as a window cleaner, waiter, and carpenter before enrolling in London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts when he was 22 years old. He went on to give a series of strong stage performances and made his film debut in the 1976 World War II movie A Bridge Too Far.

His star continued to rise, capturing international attention with his performance as lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago. That performance helped land him his part in Chariots of Fire, where he starred opposite Ian Charleson, Ian Holm, and John Gielgud. The film, based on a true story of two competing track athletes, one Jewish and one Christian, at the 1924 Olympics was a huge box office success. Cross garnered critical praise and attention for his performance.

After Chariots of Fire, Cross went on to star in the BBC drama The Citadel, the HBO movie Steal The Sky, and the NBC miniseries Twist of Fate. He also maintained a theater presence, with performances in Lydia Breeze and the revival of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

In 1995, Cross played the villainous Prince Malagant in Columbia Pictures’ First Knight. More recently, Cross appeared on The CW series Pandora and in the 2018 movie The Hurricane Heist. He wrapped filming on his final performance, playing Cardinal Mathews in the horror movie The Devil’s Light, ten days before his death.

Cross was married three times, and he is survived by his wife Deyana Boneva Cross, as well as his two children, Theo and Lauren.