He was 72, his manager told CNN in a statement.
Cross – who had recently worked – died in Vienna, Austria, according to his family. His daughter, Lauren, posted the news via his Facebook account, writing, “I am absolutely heartbroken to share with you that my dear father passed away a few hours ago. He was ill for a while, but there was a rapid declined last week. “
Cross’s major breakthrough came when he was cast as Olympic runner Harold Abrahams – a Jewish athlete who had to overcome prejudice – in “Chariots,” the true story of two champions at the 1924 Games. Ian Charleson co-starred as Eric Liddell in the 1981 film, who memorably recorded the scene of tour guides training on the beach set to Vangelis’ synthesized score.
Cross later starred in the BBC production “The Citadel” and ITV series “The Far Pavilions.” He also appeared in a 1984 American Express campaign linked to the Olympics, playing his association “Chariots”, and a stage rejuvenation in “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” opposite Charlton Heston.
Despite his classical training, Cross often found himself in danger and science-fiction danger.
In 1991, he was cast as the vampire Barnabas Collins in a miniseries revival of the macabre soap opera “Dark Shadows” for NBC. He later portrayed the villain in the 1995 film “First Knight”, which featured Sean Connery as King Arthur and Richard Gere as Lancelot.
Cross burned his science fiction references further than Spock’s father, Sarek, in the re-launch of “Star Trek” in 2009, with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.
Other TV roles included the title character in the miniseries “Solomon” and Captain Nemo in a CBS remake of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
Born Harry Bernard Cross in London, he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1970. A variety of stage roles followed before making his film debut in World War II epic “A Bridge Too Far.”
Cross had primarily remained active in television, including the series “Pandora” and “12 Monkeys,” and recently landed a role in the upcoming horror film “The Devil’s Light.”
He is survived by his wife and two children.
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