Actor Christian Oliver – best known for his roles in “Speed Racer” and “Valkyrie” – was killed with his two young children after their plane crashed into the Caribbean on January 4. The 51-year-old Oliver and his daughters, 10-year-old Madita and 12-year-old Annik, were the only passengers on board the small single-engine plane as they headed from St. Lucia from J.F. Mitchell Airport on the Grenadine island of Bequia, according to TMZ.
Shortly after takeoff of the afternoon flight, the plane “experienced an unexplained issue,” TMZ reports, which caused it to crash into the ocean. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard launched a rescue effort with the help of nearby fishermen and divers, but there was no one to be saved. The Olivers’ bodies – along with the pilot, Robert Sachs, – were recovered from the wreckage. Right now, the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation.
“The selfless and brave acts of the fishermen and divers is very much appreciated,” local police told the Associated Press.
Oliver was born in Germany and has dozens of film and television credits, according to the AP, which included movies like “Speed Racer” and “The Good German,” which was a 2006 World War II film by Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett.
AP says he first appeared as a guest star on season two of the 1990s series “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” where he played a Swiss transfer student named Brian Keller. According to IMDb, Oliver has recently been in a handful of TV movies like “English Estate” and “Binge Reload.” He’s also worked as a producer on nearly a dozen projects in the past 15 years.