Actor Simon Ward dies after a long illness

The actor Simon Ward has died after a long illness.

The star of stage and screen had his wife Alexandra and three daughters at his side when he died peacefully on Friday.

Ward had appeared as Sir Monty in BBC legal drama Judge John Deed and as Bishop Gardiner in The Tudors.

He also had roles on the big screen in Zulu Dawn and Young Winston.

Actress Susan Penhaligon paid tribute to Ward, describing him as a "loyal and sympathetic" friend. Ms Penhaligon starred alongside Ward in what she believes was his last stage performance in the The Madness of George III.

• Simon ward was the son of a car salesman from Beckenham in Kent

• He wanted to be an actor from an early age

• He joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 13 and stayed there for eight years

Some of Ward's other film roles were in The Three Musketeers, All Creatures Great and Small, Supergirl and Hitler: The Last Ten Days.

In more recent years, Ward had worked in the theatre, touring the country with The Madness of George III and An Ideal Husband.

Ward leaves his wife and daughters Sophie, Claudia and Kitty.