Ronald Lacey was born on June 18, 1935 in the suburbs of London. He began his career in 1961 after a brief stint in the Royal service. He attended The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. His first notable performance was delivered at The Royal Court in 1962's "Chips With Everything". Lacey had an unusual pug look with beady eyes and cherub's cheeks which landed him repeatedly in bizarre roles on both stage and screen. However it was his unforgettable demonic smile and peculiar Peter Lorre mannerisms that would bring Lacey a short period of fame in Hollywood. After performing on British television throughout the 1960's and 1970's, Lacey finally landed the role for which these characteristics could be used to full advantage. In 1981 he was cast as the villainous Nazi henchman in 'Steven Spielberg' 's widescreen blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark He followed this with a series of various villainous roles for the next five to six years: Firefox with 'Clint Eastwood', Sahara with Brooke Shields, and Red Sonja with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lacey turned in two hilarious cinematic performances in full drag (Disney's Trenchcoat with Margot Kidder from 1982 and Invitation to the Wedding from 1985 - in which he played a husband/wife couple!). Sadly his career began to wane in the late eighties and Lacey died in London of liver failure on May 15, 1991. A tremendous talent with great depth and many facets, Ronald Lacey will be remembered best for his small but significant role as the dapper yet psychotic Nazi in Raiders of the Lost Ark.


Wife Joanna Baker pre-deceased him. Several obituaries cite his birthdate as June 18, 1935 and others list it as September 28, 1935. His daughter, Rebecca, became a television success on the BBC's long-running "Casualty" (1986) series (a dramatic soap opera somewhat comparable to ER). Disappointed with his acting career by the late 70s, he began to consider starting a talent agency. Spielberg then cast him as the sadistic Nazi villain, Toht, in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and after basking in the afterglow of the film's blockbuster success, the classically-trained character actor quickly changed his mind. Being of Welsh decent, he owned a family cottage in Wales which was passed on to his three children after his death. The family would spend their holidays together at the cottage. He gained and lost weight over the last ten years of his life as he was ill with cancer off and on. He occasionally looked bloated and swollen as a result of medical treatment. He finally succumbed to the cancer when it overtook his liver in May of 1991 and he died under the care of his daughter, Rebecca. He was known for his generosity and warmth to fans but equally known in the London Theatre scene for having a great fondness for drinking and smoking. Often the actor was noted amongst the gossip pages as having been seen indulging at various functions and developing a bit of a reputation of raising more than just a few eyebrows in his direction. Offered the role of Commander Uvanov in "Doctor Who" (1963) serial "The Robots of Death". The part was taken by Russell Hunter.