Tony Britton has died aged 95

Actor Tony Britton has died aged 95, it has been confirmed.

Though best known for his screen work, Britton appeared in many stage productions at both the RSC and at the Old Vic in his early career. He returned to the stage multiple times, and appeared at Theatre Royal Bath in the late 1990s, along with productions including Twelfth Night and Henry V for the RSC across the same decade. Most recently in 2013, he performed in an Old Vic gala production of King Lear, directed by Jonathan Miller, playing the Earl of Gloucester.

Born in Birmingham in 1924, Britton attended school in the Midlands city before fighting in the Second World War. He had a successful film career from the 1950s, with roles in The Nearly Man and Sunday Bloody Sunday.

For seven years from 1983 he appeared in smash-hit BBC sit-com Don't Wait Up, alongside Nigel Havers and Dinah Sheridan.

He has three children – screenwriter Poppy Britton, TV presenter Fern Britton (who confirmed the news this morning) and actor Jasper Britton, who is about to appear in The Sunset Limited at the Boulevard Theatre.