‘Mighty Ducks’ Star, Joss Ackland, Dead at 95

Some sad news coming out of Hollywood. Joss Ackland, the beloved British actor who appeared in The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks, has died. He was 95 years old. Disney fans will recognize him as Hans, Gordon’s mentor and friend who always encouraged him. Hans stood by Gordon, even when he kept making the wrong decision.

Shortly after his passing, Ackland’s family released a short statement.

“With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”

Ackland started his career in Hollywood in 1949 and remained a fixture in the industry for 65 years. Throughout his storied career, Ackland appeared in more than 200 films and television shows. Some of his more notable roles were as King Arthur in A Kid in King Arthur’s Court (1995), De Nomolos in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), Andrei Lysenko in The Hunt For Red October (1990), and Arjen Rudd in Lethal Weapon 2.

In 1992, Ackland joined the Disney family when he played the role of Hans in The Mighty Ducks. Hans was an old friend of Gordon Bombay — played by Emilio Estevez — and his family, and ran the hockey shop that Gordon would frequent when he played. Gordon is forced to coach a rag-tag kids hockey team when he is sentenced for drunk driving, much to his dismay. But Hans encouraged Gordon to look back on his time as a youth hockey player, before one of his coaches “corrupted” him.

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While Mr. Ackland did not appear in D2: The Mighty Ducks, he was back for D3: The Mighty Ducks. In the third film, with Gordon running the Junior Goodwill Games, Hans becomes a mentor to fan-favorite Charlie Conway. Charlie is struggling to connect with his new hockey coach, but just like with Gordon, Hans is always there to give Charlie good advice and a listening air.

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Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland was born in North Kensington, London on February 29, 1928 — a very special day since it was the extra day in February because of the leap year. His father was an Irish journalist who was living with his aunt when he seduced his aunt’s maid — Ackland’s mother. Ackland was only 29 when his mother died in 1957. His father died in 1981.

Ackland studied his craft at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He married his wife, Rosemary Kirkcaldy, in 1951 when he was just 23 years old and she was 22. The two were married until her death in 2002. Together the two had seven children who, in turn, gave them thirty-two grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Ackland’s rep, Paul Pearson, said that Ackland died surrounded by family and loved ones. He said the beloved actor “was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end. I loved him deeply and, for me, he is the reason we have the word magnificent in the dictionary.”

We send our condolences to the family and friends of Joss Ackland.