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Tony Britton death: Don’t Wait Up star and father of Fern Britton dies, aged 95

Actor also appeared in films Sunday Bloody Sunday and The Day of the Jackal

Jacob Stolworthy
Sunday 22 December 2019 06:36 EST
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Tony Britton in British sitcom 'Don't Wait Up'

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British actor Tony Britton has died, aged 95.

His daughter, former This Morning presenter Fern Britton, announced the news on Twitter on Sunday (22 December).

“Our father, Tony Britton, died early this morning,” she wrote. “Great actor, director and charmer. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

Britton was best known for starring alongside Nigel Havers and Dinah Sheridan as Dr Toby Latimer in the BBC sitcom Don’t Wait Up.

The show was broadcast for six series from 1983 to 1990.

He previously starred in the comedy shows ...And Mother Makes Five and Robin’s Nest.

His film appearances include The Day of the Jackal (1973), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and Operation Amsterdam (1959).

Britton’s career began after completing army service in the Second World War, when he was spotted by a local critic in an amateur dramatic production.

He told the Lancashire Post in 2008: “He introduced me to one or two people and one of them gave me a job and I walked on in Worthing in two plays one after the other.”

Britton is survived by his two daughters, Fern and Cherry, and son Jasper, whom he had with his second wife, the Danish sculptor Eva Castle Britton.

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