Actor John Nolan, who starred in blockbuster hits such as Batman and Dunkirk, has sadly died today (April 11) at the age of 87, his wife confirmed. The star's doting widow, Kim Hartman, described him as a "free spirit, who always knew what he wanted and acted on his own terms; the only truly original thinker I ever knew." She went on to describe him as "articulate, intelligent, and with an anarchic wit", adding that "he was always willing to see both sides of an argument."

Hartman went on: "He was also the kindest person I ever knew - and animals loved him too! John was a popular and talented teacher, whether explaining a Shakespeare soliloquy or how to swing a golf club, and was devoted to his family." The film star was born on May 22, 1938, and showed an immediate promise on both stage and screen.

He is best known for playing the leading villain, John Greer, in the CBS sci-fi drama, Person of Interest, which was created by his nephews Jonathan and Christopher Nolan. His memorable character made his TV debut in the second series and remained a fixture on the show until its conclusion in its fifth series in 2016.

The news comes shortly after Christopher Nolan's award-winning war epic, Dunkirk, arrived on Netflix. Over the years, Nolan regularly collaborated with his nephews, appearing as Douglas Fredericks, a Wayne Enterprises board member, in Batman Begins and its follow-up hit, The Dark Knight Rises.

The veteran star also took on the role of a blind man in Nolan's World War 2 hit, Dunkirk, where he shared the screen alongside the likes of Harry Styles, Fionn Whitehead, James D'Arcy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Barry Keoghan. He went on to star in the HBO series, Dune: Prophercy, where he delivered his swan song performance at the age of 85 as the Speaker of the Hall, according to the Mirror US.

John is survived by his renowned nephews, his wife Kim, their children, Miranda and Tom and his grandchildren, Dylan and Kara. He was the younger sibling of Christopher and Jonathan's late father, Brendan Nolan. The Stratford-upon-Avon Herald was the first to confirm the news of his death.

Shortly after the news of his death hit the headlines, fans flocked to social media to express their sympathies to the Nolan family online. One fan penned: "He was a terrific villain in Person of Interest. R.I.P", as another echoed: "Rest in Peace, he was really cool. Must have been a cool uncle, too. He goes all the way back to Chris' first movie, Following."

A third chimed in with: "I know he was the Nolans' uncle, and they liked to place him in their projects, but I like it when he popped up. He had just a couple of lines in Dunkirk as a blind war vet welcoming the soldiers home, but it was probably my favourite cameo of his."

John's last screen credit appeared just two years ago in the Dune spin-off series. He also appeared in The World is Full of Married Men, Silent Witness, ITV Playhouse, and Doomwatch.