Dublin-born actor Derrick O'Connor – perhaps best-known for his villainous turn in action movie Lethal Weapon 2 – has died at the age of 77.

O'Connor, who had a long and varied film, TV and stage career, is said to have passed away on Friday (June 29) from pneumonia, according to his publicist (via The Hollywood Reporter).

He was a frequent collaborator with Monty Python legend Terry Gilliam across the '70s and '80s, starring in the wonderfully surreal Jabberwocky, Time Bandits and Brazil.

terry gilliam, monty python, stroke, cannes film festivalpinterest
Getty Images

[Terry Gilliam]

The actor's more recent roles included that of Thomas Aquinas in the 1999 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic End of Days, Father Everett in 2003's Daredevil and as an aspiring buccaneer in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Of course, Derrick is arguably most well-known for his portrayal of Pieter Vorstedt in Lethal Weapon 2, Arjen Rudd's evil right-hand man who suffers an untimely, cargo-related death.

As well as making his mark in cinema and on-stage, O'Connor also appeared in a number of TV series across the world, including in the US, the UK and Australia.

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USA Network//Getty Images

[Derrick O'Connor in TV series Monk]

He made frequent appearances in the likes of Alias, Carnivale, Monk, Murder, She Wrote, Stringer, The Sweeney and Knockback.

O'Connor, who relocated to California in the 1990s, is survived by his wife Mimi and their son Max. A private celebration of his life is set to take place in San Francisco.


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Rianne Houghton
Rianne Houghton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy.