‘Chariots of Fire,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Ian Holm Dies

Durbin Apologizes for ‘Token’ Remark About Tim Scott-Led Police Reform Bill

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) apologized to Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), one of three black senators, after making a remark taken by some, including Scott, as racist. Durbin, who is white, on the Senate floor called the approach taken by Republicans on police reform, which was led by Scott, “a token, halfhearted approach.” A spokeswoman for the senator said late Wednesday that once Durbin heard he offended Scott, he sought him on our the floor and apologized. “What Sen. Durbin took issue with in his floor speech was not Sen. Scott’s bill, but that the Senate Majority Leader would short circuit this critical debate and fail to make the changes needed to prevent the killing of Black Americans by police officers,” she said in a statement sent to news outlets. Scott,…

LONDON—Ian Holm, an acclaimed British actor whose long career included roles in “Chariots of Fire” and “The Lord of the Rings” has died. He was 88.

Holm died peacefully Friday morning in a hospital, surrounded by his family and carer, his agent, Alex Irwin, said in a statement. His illness was Parkinson’s related.

“It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88,” his agent told the paper. “Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.”

A star of stage and screen, Holm won a Tony Award for best featured actor as Lenny in Harold Pinter’s play “The Homecoming” in 1967.

An established figure in the Royal Shakespeare Company, he won a Laurence Olivier Award for best actor for his performance in the title role of “King Lear” in 1998.

‘Chariots of Fire,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Ian Holm Dies

He won a British Academy Film Award and gained a supporting-actor Oscar nomination for portraying pioneering athletics coach Sam Mussabini in the hit 1982 film “Chariots of Fire.”

He also appeared in “The Fifth Element,” “Alien,’’ “The Sweet Hereafter,’’ “Time Bandits,’’ “The Emperor’s New Clothes’’ and “The Madness of King George.’’

More recently, he portrayed Bilbo Baggins in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogies, a role he reprised in the recent “The Hobbit” film series.

Holm was knighted in 1998 for his services to drama.

“His sparkling wit always accompanied a mischievous twinkle in his eye,” Irwin said.

Holm was married four times and had five children.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Focus News: ‘Chariots of Fire,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Ian Holm Dies

How to Rebuild Trust Between Police and Local Communities: HOPE for Prisoners Founder Jon Ponder

“I grew up hating police,” said Jon Ponder, founder of the Las Vegas nonprofit HOPE for Prisoners. A three-time convicted felon, Ponder grew up on the streets of New York without a father and became involved with a gang at a young age, descending into crime and substance abuse. His first arrest was at age 12. In 2004, he was arrested for bank robbery. He was on his way to a maximum-security prison when he met the FBI agent who arrested him, Richard Beasley. “He walked into the room and just revealed his heart, the human side of him,” Ponder said in an interview with The Epoch Times for the “American Thought Leaders” program. There was “something about his demeanor” that allowed Ponder to see “past the sunglasses and that…