David Weatherley, the British-born actor best known to Power Rangers fans as Spencer, the affable butler to the Hartford household in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, has died.
Weatherley died on Thursday, December 12, according to an online obituary. He was 85 years old.
Weatherley was born in England to an English mother and Welsh father and moved to Canada in 1956, where he joined the armed forces.
"Well, 17 years old, riding motorbikes, being a policeman, shooting machine guns, was fun," he said in a 2014 interview. "What more could a bloke ask for?"
He rose to the rank of sergeant and moved to New Zealand in 1961 after his commanding officer in Vancouver offered him a commissioned role in New Zealand's armed forces. He brought his motorcycle with him and wound up in the hospital after a motorcycle crash a week later.
After a couple years of desk jobs, he accompanied his mother to an amateur play reading. When one actor failed to show up, Weatherley found himself roped into reading a part, which turned into performing the part of John Willard in Arthur Miller's The Crucible.
He went on to join touring productions and radio dramas. In 1967, he played roles such as Henry V at Central Theatre in Auckland and then began a long and happy relationship with the Mercury Theatre, where he appeared in around 120 productions over the course of 20 years, Weatherley wrote in an IMDb biography.
Weatherley, who also voiced Benglo in Operation Overdrive, is also known to international viewers through his small parts in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
During Operation Overdrive's airing, he engaged with fans on Rangerboard.
A celebration of life is set for Thursday in New Zealand. Weatherley was a father of two; details about survivors were not immediately available.
