Movie
The German-born US actor and his daughters Annik and Madita Klepser were killed with a pilot off the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
German-born US actor Christian Oliver, who appeared in films alongside Tom Cruise and George Clooney during a 30-year career, died along with his two daughters in a plane crash off the coast of a Caribbean island on Thursday.
Oliver, who was born Christian Klepser, and his daughters were passengers aboard a single-engine plane that took off from an airport in Bequia, a small island in the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, at about 12:10 p.m. local time, authorities said.
Officials from the Royal St. Vincent and Grenadines Police Force said the plane – en route to nearby St. Lucia – encountered unspecified difficulties shortly after beginning the flight and then crashed into the sea.
Fishermen, divers and members of the country's coast guard arrived at the crash site, and military personnel were able to recover the four bodies of the people on board the plane.
Oliver, 51; his daughters Annik and Madita Klepser, 10 and 12, respectively; and the plane's pilot and owner, Robert Sachs, were pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel, police said. The Coast Guard transported the bodies of Oliver, his daughters and Sachs – a Bequia resident – by boat to a local mortuary, and autopsies were scheduled Friday to determine the exact causes of death.
Thursday's fatal accident sparked deep condolences from family and friends of the late actor, who completed filming his final scenes on the set of an upcoming film titled “Forever Hold Your Peace” just five days before Christmas Deadline reported.
“Forever Hold Your Peace” director Nick Lyon paid tribute to Oliver late Thursday by posting a photo on Instagram of him and the late actor on their final day of filming.
“We talked about producing a film together for years and finally did it,” Lyon wrote, adding that he and Oliver have worked on five projects together. “Thank you for being a great colleague, actor and friend.”
His “Forever Hold Your Peace” co-star Bai Ling also posted a tribute to Oliver on Instagram, calling him “such a brave actor and a beautiful human being.”
Ling, who noted that Oliver was on holiday when he died, added: “Life [is] so beautiful and yet so unpredictable and so precious. Let us love and cherish every moment of our lives.”
Oliver's acting career began in 1994 with a 26-episode role in the series Saved by the Bell: The New Class. From 2006 to 2008, he portrayed characters in “The Good German” by Clooney and Cate Blanchett, “Speed Racer” by Emile Hirsch and “Valkyrie” by Tom Cruise.
In addition to his role in Forever Hold Your Peace, the Los Angeles-based actor's more recent credits include voice acting contributions to the video game series Call of Duty and Medal of Honor in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
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