Australian actor Russell Kiefel died while in Darwin for his role in And I’m the Queen of Sheba

AUSTRALIAN actor Russell Kiefel died in Darwin after taking ill backstage during a performance of And I’m the Queen of Sheba at Brown’s Mart Theatre

AUSTRALIAN actor Russell Kiefel died in Darwin over the weekend after taking ill backstage during a performance of And I’m the Queen of Sheba at Brown’s Mart Theatre.

The theatre has cancelled the rest of the season out of respect for Kiefel.

Brown’s mart executive director Sean Pardy said it was a tragic event and an emotional time for Kiefel’s family and everyone involved in the production.

“I met Russell in the first week of rehearsals and immediately recognised that he was a generous, funny and cheeky man,” he said.

“It was an honour to meet him and a privilege to see him perform on the Brown’s Mart stage.”

Kiefel performed the role of Frank in the play written by local playwright Kate Wyvill which opened on Thursday night last week.

He was well-known for his role in the film Breaker Morant early in his career, and more recently for his work on Neighbours.

He took ill backstage on Friday night and Brown’s Mart staff extended their thanks to their patrons on the night for their patience and understanding.

Brown’s Mart is currently working to sort refunds for tickets purchased for the remainder of the season.

Originally published as Australian actor Russell Kiefel died while in Darwin for his role in And I’m the Queen of Sheba