Ewen MacIntosh, a British actor and comedian acclaimed for his dry portrayal of Keith Bishop, a lackluster accountant, on the British sitcom “The Office,” died on Monday in the English town of Darlington. He was 50.
His management company, Just Right Management, did not cite cause but said that he had suffered from “ill health” for the past two years, and that he had received support from a residential care home before he died.
Mr. MacIntosh was seen in several comedy films and television series, including the sketch show “Little Britain.” But it was on the mockumentary series “The Office” that he had his most famous role, as a socially inept accountant working at a boring branch of a paper company.
Created by Ricky Gervais (who played the annoying boss) and Stephen Merchant, focused on the horrors and trivial lives of office workers. It made its debut in 2001 and ran for two series, plus a Christmas special. Critics praised its comedic approach, and its unflinching mining of the details of office politics, from social missteps and unbearable colleagues to self-important managers, resonated with audiences.
The show later inspired an Emmy-winning American counterpart, adapted by Greg Daniels and, for most of its run, starring Steve Carell. The American “Office” ran for nine seasons and attracted an avid fan base of its own.
“If there’s a theme, it’s about missed opportunity,” Mr. Gervais said in a 2003 interview with The New York Times. “If you take the comedy out, it’s about wasting your life.”
That was a sentiment that Keith Bishop, an accountant with zero interest in the job, embodied, and Mr. MacIntosh imbued him with a listless affect. He chewed gum during a job appraisal, made inappropriate comments to colleagues and had a fondness for eating Scotch eggs.
His indifferent performance was inspired by the 1984 comedy “This Is Spinal Tap,” he said in a 2021 interview with Vice. “I always remember Christopher Guest, playing Nigel Tufnel, would just chew gum and look vacant. I thought, ‘I’ll try that and see what happens,’” he said. “It worked out.”
Ewen Douglas MacIntosh was born in Wales on Dec. 25, 1973. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, where he performed in improv and theater groups.
After his break in “The Office,” he continued to work in the entertainment industry, as an actor, writer and presenter. He performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007, and was seen in the 2015 Yorgos Lanthimos film, “The Lobster”; the TV series “After Life” (2019-22), created by and starring Mr. Gervais; and the 2017 romantic comedy “Finding Fatimah.”
Information about survivors was not immediately available.
Mr. MacIntosh never completely left Keith Bishop behind. Even two decades after “The Office” aired, he was still sharing personalized messages to fans in character as Keith upon request.
“I’m very proud I was in it,” he told Vice. “I think it holds up well, and long may it continue.”
