Christian Oliver, best known for his roles in films including Speed Racer and Valkyrie, died Thursday along with his two young daughters when their small plane crashed into the sea off a Caribbean island, Deadline reported. Oliver was 51. The plane's owner and pilot, Robert Sachs, also died in the crash.
The single-engine plane crashed Thursday afternoon en route to neighboring St. Lucia after taking off from JF Mitchell Airport on Pequia, a small island in the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said. Oliver's daughters Madita, 12, and Annick, 10, also died.
“The aircraft experienced difficulties shortly after take-off and plunged into the sea,” the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said in a statement to the media. “Fishermen and divers from the Paget farm went to the scene in their boats to assist.”
According to officials, all four bodies have been recovered. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. According to local reports, the pilot radioed the tower shortly after takeoff to advise that he was in trouble and was turning back. That was the final transfer of the plane.
Oliver was filming the final scenes of his latest film, Forever Hold Your Peace, directed by Nick Lyon and co-starring Boy Ling.
On the final day of filming, Leon wrote on Instagram to pay tribute to Oliver, “This is our 5th film together. @christianoliverofficial and I made it and it's our last day of filming! After years of talking about making a film together, we finally did it! Thank you @christianoliverofficial for being a great colleague, actor and friend. #Keepyourpeaceforever.”
On Saturday, he paid tribute to the late actor on Instagram, writing, “Rest in peace my friend @christianoliverofficial.”
Born in Germany, Oliver worked alongside Steven Soderbergh in The Good German opposite Cate Blanchett and George Clooney, Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise in 2008's Valkyrie, and the Wachowskis in Speed Racer. The Bell: The New Class, and his most recent film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
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