Acclaimed New Zealand–born actor Robin Chadwick died earlier this month at his home in America, after a long health battle.

The acting legend was born in the small city of Rotorua in 1939 and passed away in Weehawken, New Jersey, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Chadwick began his esteemed career in the 1960s, after winning a NZ government scholarship to study theatre at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

He was one of New Zealand’s most respected actors and one of the stars of the long-running BBC soap opera The Brothers, appearing in it from 1972 – 1976, alongside legendary performers Jean Anderson and Richard Easton.

Known for his old-world manners, one admirer quipped at the time: ‘We haven’t seen manners like yours since before the First World War.’

After graduating, he launched a thriving career across stage and screen. 

Acclaimed New Zealand–born actor Robin Chadwick died earlier this month at his home in America, after a long health battle

His breakout role came in The Brothers, a hugely popular BBC series that ran through much of the 1970s.

Between seasons, Chadwick worked at London’s renowned Bush Theatre, where he met his future wife, Susan Mascuch, whom he married in 1974.

A host of international theatre performances soon followed, with Chadwick performing across Europe and Asia.

He relocated to New York in 1980, carving out a successful career in American theatre. 

Chadwick also appeared off-Broadway, at major regional theatres and eventually on Broadway alongside stage greats including Rex Harrison, Glynis Johns and Nigel Hawthorne.

The upbeat performer also appeared in the epic 1970 Hollywood movie Julius Caesar, alongside showbiz legends Charlton Heston, Christopher Lee and Diana Rigg.

His final screen role was in 1998 in the popular American crime series New York Undercover, opposite comedian Thomas Mikal Ford.

Chadwick received significant acclaim across his renowned career and at one point, The New York Times hailed his performance in Mirandolina as ‘the stuff of indelible memory’.

The acting legend was born in the small city of Rotorua in 1939 and passed away in Weehawken, New Jersey, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease

Chadwick was one of New Zealand’s most respected actors and was one of the stars of the long-running BBC soap opera The Brothers, appearing in it from 1972 – 1976

One of his most beloved roles was the miserly Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, which he performed in theatres across America. 

Away from the stage, Chadwick embraced a quieter life. 

With his wife, he restored a 200-year-old Pennsylvania farmhouse, finding joy in building, gardening and beekeeping. 

Even as Alzheimer’s took hold, he continued to recite Shakespeare and poetry from memory, delighting family and friends. 

Chadwick is survived by his wife of 51 years, as well as brother Anthony, sister Truda, extended family in the US, New Zealand and Australia, and countless friends. 

He was remembered as courtly, elegant and a true gentleman and patron of the arts.