simon ward

The British screen and stage actor Simon Ward has died after a long illness, his agent has confirmed.

Ward appeared in several films throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including The Three Musketeers.

He also starred as Bishop Gardiner in The Tudors and as Sir Monty in the popular BBC television series Judge John Deed.

A statement released by his agent said he passed away peacefully with his wife Alexandra and daughters at his bedside.

The son of a car salesman from Beckenham in Kent, Ward joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 13 where he remained for eight years.

After attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he worked in repertory in Northampton, Birmingham and Oxford, and occasionally in London’s West End.

Early career

His break into the theatre came in 1967 when he played the lead in Joe Orton’s play, Loot, which lead to television and film roles.

In 1972, he gained national acclaim for his portrayal of Churchill in Richard Attenborough’s epic film Young Winston, which featured a distinguished cast including Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft.

The following year, he played the Duke of Buckngham in The Three Musketeers.

In 1974, Ward was cast as the author and veterinarian, James Herriot, in the original film adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small.

All Creatures Great and Small later became a successful BBC television series with actor Christopher Timothy taking the lead role played by Ward in the film adaptation.

In more recent years Ward returned to theatre, touring the country with plays such as Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III and Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband.

In the late 1980s Ward was a victim of a street attack that was never solved and baffled the police.

Ward’s daughter is the actress, Sophie Ward; his youngest daughter, Kitty, is married to the comedian, Michael McIntyre.

What are your memories of Simon Ward? Did you meet him or work with him? What were his best film roles? Send us your comments using the form below.

Philip Madoc

Philip Madoc of Lloyd George and Dad’s Army fame dies

Philip Madoc was a familiar face on British television appearing in many classic programmes.

Welsh actor Philip Madoc has died after a short illness, his agent says.

The 77-year-old had a long career on stage and screen, playing the title role in the BBC drama The Life and Times of David Lloyd George.

His agent Michael Hallett said he died on Monday morning in hospital in Hertfordshire surrounded by his family.

Born in Merthyr Tydfil, he appeared in many classic television shows including Dad’s Army, Doctor Who, Porridge and the detective series A Mind to Kill.

His extensive radio work included the title role in the BBC Radio 3 adaptation of King Lear and more recently he starred in S4C’s new series The Cockle Farmer.

He was also widely remembered for his part as a German U-Boat commander in the classic “Don’t tell him, Pike” scene from the popular television sitcom Dad’s Army.

Dame Judi Dench

Dame Judi Dench reveals eyesight problem

Dame Judi Dench talks about her latest film

Actress Dame Judi Dench has been diagnosed with a condition that can lead to blindness, she has revealed.

The Oscar-winning star told the Daily Mirror she had age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and struggled to read scripts or recognise faces.

But the 77-year-old has had some treatment and is hoping it might slow the decline in her eyesight.

AMD affects more than 600,000 Britons and last year research was published suggesting it could rise to 750,000.

Dame Judi, who is due to reprise the role of M in the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, told the Mirror: “I can’t read scripts any more before because of the trouble with my eyes.

“And so somebody comes and reads them to me, like telling me a story.”

AMD, which affects the macula at the back of the eye, is the cause of more than half of registrations for blind and partially sighted people in the UK.

She said: “I’ve got what my ma had, macular degeneration, which you get when you get old.”
Dame Judi Dench says she has no plans to retire from acting

ne of a group of pensioners who move to India in her latest film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which premiered in London earlier this month.

She said the worst part of the condition was not being able to see the person she was having lunch with in a restaurant.

But she said she had no plans to let it force her retirement and added: “You get used to it. I’ve got lenses and glasses and things and very bright light helps.”

She has been chosen to narrate the film Better Living Through Chemistry, starring Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde as a couple engaged in an affair.

Dame Judi won a best supporting actress Oscar in 1998 for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love but she is not expected to attend next weekend’s Oscars.