David Hemmings RIP!

David Hemmings

LONDON (AP) -- David Hemmings, a British actor who became one of the screen icons of the swinging '60s with roles in films such as "Blow Up," died of a heart attack on a
Romanian movie set Wednesday. He was 62.

Hemmings collapsed shortly after shooting scenes for the movie "Samantha's Child," agent Liz Nelson said.

Hemmings was enjoying a renaissance in his acting career after a couple of decades behind the camera directing and producing TV shows such as the "A-Team" and
"Airwolf." An appearance in Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning "Gladiator" in 2000 led to a flood of offers, including the critically acclaimed "Last Orders" with Michael Caine
in 2001 and most recently "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" with Sean Connery in 2003.

But it was roles in films including Roger Vadim's science-fiction romp "Barbarella" in the 1960s that defined him for a generation. His international breakthrough
came when he auditioned for the role of the fashion photographer in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film "Blow Up."

The film, in which Hemmings' character reportedly believes he may have witnessed a murder, won the Cannes Film Festival's Golden Palm award in 1967. Scenes in
which Hemmings photographed a model, played by Vanessa Redgrave, have often been ranked among the sexiest moments captured on film.

Hemmings' boyish good looks were also put to use in the 1967 musical "Camelot," "Charge of the Light Brigade" in 1968, and "Alfred the Great" in 1969.

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