Ewen MacIntosh, Who Played Accountant Keith in Ricky Gervais’ ‘The Office,’ Dies at 50

Ewen MacIntosh, the Welsh actor and comedian best known for his role as Keith Bishop from the accounting office in the British version of The Office, has died at the age of 50.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

“The very funny and very lovely Ewen Macintosh, known to many as ‘Big Keith’ from The Office, has passed away,” show creator Ricky Gervais wrote on X. “An absolute original. RIP.”

The actor played accountant Keith Bishop in The Office and later reunited with Gervais on Netflix series After Life. MacIntosh also had roles in such U.K. comedies as Miranda and Little Britain.

His deadpan performances in The Office quickly made MacIntosh’s Keith an audience favorite. In one popular scene with Martin Freeman, the accountant takes a large bite out of a Scotch egg while his opposite talks about performing a sexual act on himself.

MacIntosh also appeared in movies. In Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2015 film The Lobster, starring Colin Farrell and Olivia Colman, for example, he played a waiter.

Extremely sad news. The very funny and very lovely Ewen Macintosh, known to many as ‘Big Keith’ from The Office, has passed away. An absolute original. RIP. pic.twitter.com/Hhd3zkRVMs

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) February 21, 2024

“He may have had a famous face known by millions as Keith from The Office but the person inside is what I will most remember,” Macintosh’s friend Ed Scott, CEO of DAB Music, wrote on X.

He also said: “Thanks to the incredible care and love provided by the wonderful medical staff and especially the nurses who all loved him when he brought a smile to their days.”

Added Scott: “Ewen was so full of empathy, kindness, and integrity and above all a really good man. Sending love to his parents Sara and Ewen Sr, his brother Colin and his family, as well as his many friends and fans.”

MacIntosh was born in Merionethshire, Wales and studied linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. There, he got involved in the Edinburgh University Theatre Company and improv troupe The Improverts.

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