He suffered a fall about seven weeks before his death, and did not recover.
Best known for his socially aspiring middle-class comedy characters, and for his ability to perfectly deliver convoluted dialogue. As such, chiefly remembered as 'Foggy' Dewhurst in Roy Clarke's Last of the Summer Wine (1973) and as the guileless prison officer Mr. Barrowclough in Porridge (1974), forever at the whim of Ronnie Barker's inmate Fletcher.
Keen follower of cricket, especially as played locally, on village greens.
He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).
Grew up in Hertfordshire and attended Richard Hale School.