Stephen Critchlow, the voice actor behind Final Fantasy XIV‘s Count Edmont de Fortemps, has died at the age of 54. The actor passed away on Sunday, and news of his passing came through a statement from production company Big Finish, who the actor had worked with on Doctor Who and Torchwood audio dramas. Critchlow’s cause of death has not been revealed.
Critchlow’s video game career began in 1999 when he provided voices for characters in the the video game adaptation of James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies. Throughout the years, he has provided voices for plenty of other PlayStation titles including the Killzone franchise, Heavenly Sword, and the Inazuma Eleven franchise. The actor is best known in video games for his roles as Edmont in Final Fantasy XIV and Bana in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. His most recent roles include doing additional voices in Total War: Warhammer and World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.
The actor also had a prolific television acting career. His most recent appearance was in The Sandman, a series based on the graphic novels of Neil Gaiman, and he is due to appear in an upcoming TV series called Unsinkable. Critchlow also had an extensive audio drama legacy, lending voices to characters in Doctor Who and Torchwood dramas. His colleagues at Big Finish have been paying tribute to the actor. Director Scott Handcock said:
He was such a talent – a chameleon behind the microphone – but also such a genuinely lovely, funny and generous human being. I think I got him in on almost every series as he was just such a delightful presence. The world will be a much, much sadder place without him.
Final Fantasy XIV fans have also paid tribute by rallying around a fundraiser set up by Critchlow. The actor suffered a stroke in January 2020 and set up the fundraiser for NHS Charities Together to support the staff at the NHS that provided his care during that time. He also produced a podcast called At the First Stroke that recounted his experience. If you’re interested in donating, you can contribute to his fundraiser on Just Giving.
PlayStation LifeStyle sends their condolences to Critchlow’s friends and family.
[Source: Big Finish]
