Stephen Boyd | |
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![]() Boyd in 1961 | |
Born | William Millar 4 July 1931 Whitehouse, Northern Ireland |
Died | 2 June 1977 Northridge, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 45)
Resting place | Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1955–1977 |
Spouses | Mariella di Sarzana
(m. 1958; div. 1959)Elizabeth Mills (m. 1974) |
Partner | Marisa Mell (1970–1972) |
Stephen Boyd (born William Millar; 4 July 1931 – 2 June 1977) was a Northern Irish actor of Ulster Scottish descent. He appeared in some 60 films, most notably as the villainous Messala in Ben-Hur (1959), a role that earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He received his second Golden Globe Award nomination for Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962). He also appeared, sometimes as a hero and sometimes as a malefactor, in the major big-screen productions The Night Heaven Fell (1958), The Bravados (1958), The Best of Everything (1959), Imperial Venus (1962), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Genghis Khan (1965), Fantastic Voyage (1966) and Shalako (1968).