Actor Ben Daniels Grieves the Loss of His Loving Husband Who Passed Away in May 2024
"He was my absolute rock and we'd been partners for more than 30 years. If we weren't together, we spoke to each other every day."
Published May 8 2024, 10:08 a.m. ET
Throughout his decades-long career, actor Ben Daniels has graced just about every form of acting there is. The award-winning performer has had major appearances on stage, but he is perhaps more widely known for his role in Season 3 of Netflix's The Crown as Antony Armstrong-Jones, for which he won and the cast a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He is currently set to appear in Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Yet the only thing in Ben's life that can rival his long-standing acting career is his long-standing marriage. Ben has never been shy about being gay, although he had to be cautious during the height of rampant homophobia during the U.S. AIDS epidemic of the 1970s and 1980s. He has even faced discrimination in his industry for being gay. Nevertheless, Ben was happily married for 30 years to his husband right up until the latter's passing. Here's what we know about Ben Daniels's husband.
Ben Daniels and his husband, a fellow actor, were married for over three decades.
Ben made it official in 1993 and tied the knot with fellow British actor Ian Gelder. According to reports, the two of them met on the set of a play called Entertaining Mr, Sloane.
Ian had plenty of his own roles under his belt. He appeared in shows like Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials and Doctor Who throughout his career.
Ben and Ian had been happily married for over 30 years. They avoided plenty of the scandal and public drama that might plague other celebrity couples. Unfortunately, Ben suffered a significant loss in 2024 after Ian passed away.
What was Ian Gelder's cause of death?
In an Instagram post, Ben revealed that Ian tragically died on May 6, 2024. The post was accompanied by a picture of the two of them celebrating Christmas together.
According to Ben, Ian had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer several months earlier in December 2023. Ben paused his entire acting career to care for Ian during his illness. However, Ian took a turn for the worse in the months that followed.
In his post, Ben spoke at length of the kind of romance that the two of them shared.
Ben wrote, "He was my absolute rock and we'd been partners for more than 30 years. If we weren't together, we spoke to each other every day. He was the kindest, most generous, spirited, and loving human being."
Ben continued, "I honestly don't know what I'll do without him by my side. He coped with his dreadful illness with such bravery, with no self-pity. Ever. He was remarkable and will be so missed."
Our hearts go out to Ben and Ian's loved ones during this difficult time.
