Stephen Boyd

Stephen Boyd (born William Millar) was a Northern Irish actor best known for his role as the villainous Messala in the epic film Ben-Hur (1959), earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He began his career in stage productions and radio in Belfast, transitioned to British films in the mid-1950s, and signed with 20th Century Fox, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1963. Boyd starred in numerous spectacles including Fantastic Voyage (1966) and died of a heart attack in 1977 at age 45.