Rutger Hauer of 'Blade Runner' fame passes away

Famous Dutch actor, Rutger Hauer, famously known for his role in the 1982 classic science fiction film ‘Blade Runner’, succumbed to an illness and passed away on July 19.

Upon the request of his family, the actor's death  was only announced on Wednesday after his funeral  by his longtime agent Steve Kenis who told reporters that the 75-year-old died peacefully at his Dutch home.

Hauer was introduced to audiences outside of Europe by ‘Blade Runner’ which cast him as a murderous synthetic human, named Roy Batty.

The actor frequently appeared in period pieces. He also played an accursed knight opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie 'Ladyhawke', and a villainous rogue in the medieval drama 'Flesh + Blood'.

Hauer is also known for playing a sadistic hitchhiker in 'The Hitcher', a popular horror film.

He worked throughout his life and had parts in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Sin City' and 'Batman Begins', in which he played the corrupt executive running Bruce Wayne's family business.

The actor moved seamlessly between movies and television and also made an appearance in the HBO vampire drama 'True Blood'.

Hauer launched his career in the 1970s, working with director Paul Verhoeven, who cast him in the movies 'Turkish Delight' and 'Soldier of Orange'.

Academy Award winning director, Guillermo del Toro, called Hauer "an intense, deep, genuine and magnetic actor that brought truth, power and beauty to his films."