Actor and comedian Brian Murphy, best known for starring in the 1970s sitcom Man About The House, has died aged 92, his wife Linda Regan has said.
Posting a picture of her kissing her husband, the Hi-de-Hi! actress wrote: “My love for you will never die. RIP sweetheart.”
Murphy, who was born on the Isle of Wight, came to the public’s attention with Man About The House, a popular sitcom that began airing in 1973 and saw the actor play landlord George Roper.
The show featured landlords George and Mildred Roper, played by the late Yootha Joyce, and was considered controversial for the time as it featured two single women living with a man.
When the show ended in 1976 Murphy starred in the spin-off, titled George And Mildred, which ran for five series until 1979.
He also starred as Alvin Smedley in Last Of The Summer Wine.
Before he rose to fame, Murphy was a member of the Theatre Workshop, founded by Joan Littlewood, and he was a jobbing actor before appearing in TV shows including The Avengers and Z-Cars.
In 1993, he starred in the first major stage version of The Invisible Man, based on the science fiction classic by HG Wells.
He appeared on a host of other TV shows including comedy series The Catherine Tate Show, Benidorm and This Is Jinsy.
In later years he voiced the character Mr Lovelybuns for the animated series Claude, based on Alex T Smith’s best-selling books.
Murphy’s friend and agent Thomas Bowington told BBC News that Murphy was a “joyful and profoundly good-hearted man” as he paid tribute to his “talent and humanity”.
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