In the wake of Rutger Hauer’s death at 75, filmmaker Ridley Scott has paid tribute to the actor, whom he famously directed in the 1982 science fiction classic Blade Runner.
“Rutger was the gentle giant,” Scott said in a statement Wednesday. “I don’t know who was more nervous on that first morning of the first day on set in 1982… I think the film is called Blade Runner. We helped each other through the entire process because it was very challenging. I’ll miss him.”
For Hauer, who died July 19 at his home in the Netherlands after a short illness, Blade Runner marked one of his signature performances. He played the runaway “replicant” Roy Batty, who was pursued by Harrison Ford’s titular detective, Rick Deckard, in a dystopian future Los Angeles.
Hauer’s many other credits included the films Flesh and Blood, The Hitcher, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Surviving the Game, Sin City, Batman Begins, and Hobo with a Shotgun, and the TV series True Blood.
Related content:
Stars we lost in 2019
Rutger Hauer, legendary star of Blade Runner, dies at 75