Ian Charleson, `Chariots Of Fire' Star

LONDON - Actor Ian Charleson, who starred in the film ``Chariots of Fire'' as an Olympic runner whose religious faith took precedence over his desire to compete, has died of complications from AIDS, his agent said yesterday. He was 40.

The Scottish actor, who recently played ``Hamlet'' at London's National Theater, died at his home in London on Saturday evening ``following a courageous struggle with the AIDS virus,'' Michael Whitehall said. He said the cause of death was septicemia, a disease caused by microorganisms in the blood.

Charleson, who received critical praise for a series of stage roles, achieved international fame in the 1981 film ``Chariots of Fire,'' in which he played Eric Liddell, a Scottish missionary and runner who refused to compete on a Sunday. The film won the Academy Award for best picture.

He also appeared in the 1982 Oscar-winning film ``Gandhi'' as Charlie Andrews, the priest who was a friend of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi.

Mark Fisher, an opposition Labor Party spokesman on the arts, said his widely acclaimed performance as Hamlet ``indicated that an enormous career lay ahead of him.''

Charleson, the son of a printer, was born in Edinburgh Aug. 11, 1949. He won a scholarship to the capital's Royal High School and went on to study architecture at Edinburgh University.

He studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and began his stage career in London at the Young Vic Theater from 1972 to 1974. His performances with the National Theater included roles in ``Julius Caesar'' and ``Volpone'' in 1977, and ``Guys and Dolls'' in 1984.

He received particular acclaim for his performances in two U.S. plays at the National - Sam Shepard's ``Fool for Love'' in 1985, and a 1988 production of Tennessee Williams' ``Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,'' in which he played Brick.

There will be a private family funeral in Scotland later this week and a memorial service in London later in the year, Whitehall said.