Syfy Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
SYFY WIRE obituary

Irrfan Khan, Jurassic World and The Amazing Spider-Man star, dies at 53

By Josh Weiss
Irrfan Khan Jurassic World

Irrfan Khan, an actor known to American audiences for his roles in Mark Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man and Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World, has died at the age of 53. Per Variety, he was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday with a colon infection that he later succumbed to. Khan's health had been shaky since 2018, when he "underwent extensive treatment" in London for a neuroendocrine tumor.

Trevorrow honored the late actor on Twitter, writing:

"Deeply sad to have lost #IrrfanKhan. A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain. In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember 'the wonderful aspects of our existence' in the darkest of days. Here he is, laughing."

Born in Jaipur, India, in January 1967, Khan began acting in his native country (starting with television in the late 1980s), where he became a notable Bollywood star before making the jump to international projects. At the time of his passing, he had almost 150 screen credits to his name.

The actor put his mark on the Marvel Universe in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), where he played Dr. Ratha, the unscrupulous boss of Curt Connors. Ratha's greed and disregard for human life come back to haunt him when he's attacked by a vengeful Connors — now transformed into the Lizard.

Jurassic World (2015) saw Khan take up the role of Simon Masrani, the charismatic and helicopter-flying business mogul who purchased John Hammond's InGen and took over as owner of the dinosaur park. Masrani perishes in a copter crash after the Indominus rex breaks into the winged dino enclosure.

"I'm playing the park owner, a very flamboyant person. When the first Jurassic Park came out, I barely had the money to see it, and now I'm playing a part. He's trying to entertain the world with good intentions, but sometimes being flamboyant doesn't mean having much wisdom," Khan told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014.

The actor's other genre credits include Ang Lee's Life of Pi and Ron Howard's Inferno.

Khan is survived by his wife, Sutapa, and two sons, Babil and Ayan.

(Certain information via IMDb.)