Home > News & Advice > News Obituaries > Hugh Keays-Byrne (1947–2020), played villains in “Mad Max” movies

Hugh Keays-Byrne (1947–2020), played villains in “Mad Max” movies

by Linnea Crowther

Hugh Keays-Byrne was an English-Australian actor best known for portraying two different villains in “Mad Max” (1979) and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015).

Acting career

The original “Mad Max” was one of Keays-Byrne’s earliest movie roles. In the cult classic film, Keays-Byrne played chief villain Toecutter. When the movie franchise was brought into a new century with “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Keays-Byrne was brought back to play tyrant Immortan Joe. In between, he appeared in films including “The Chain Reaction” (1980), “Lorca and the Outlaws” (1984), and “The Blood of Heroes” (1989). His TV roles include Grunchlk on the SciFi Channel series “Farscape.”

Keays-Byrne on playing bad guys

“[F]or an old ham like me, it’s great fun.” —from a 2015 interview with USA Today

Tributes to Hugh Keays-Byrne

Full obituary: People

View More Legacy Videos

More Stories