Actor Warren Mitchell dies

Warren Mitchell has died at the age of 89. The actor passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning following a bout of ill health.

Mitchell was best know for playing Alf Garnett in the TV series Till Death Us Do Part, a role that he began portraying at the age of 40 in 1966. The programme ran until 1975 and Mitchell returned as Alf Garnett in a new series In Sickness and in Health from 1985.

Alf Garnett was the centre of both sitcoms and was a character that held bigoted views and had a long-suffering wife Else, who was played by Dandy Nichols.

The London-born Mitchell was also known for his stage work, and played Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman at the National Theatre in 1979. It was a performance that won him both an Evening Standard Award and an Olivier and was highly praised by Peter Hall, while Arthur Miller reportedly described the turn as one of the best interpretations of the part he had ever seen.

Mitchell also won acclaim for his work in Pinter's The Homecoming and The Caretaker.

The actor suffered a stroke in 2004, but returned to the stage remarkably quickly to perform in Miller's The Price, for which he won a second Olivier Award. Other TV shows he appeared in include Gormenghast, Lovejoy and Kavanagh QC.

People took to Twitter today to relay their admiration for the actor. Artistic director Rupert Goold said:

RIP Warren Mitchell. A deeply soulful and erudite man who genuinely loved the theatre.

Mitchell's great nephew said:

Just got the news my great uncle Warren Mitchell (aka Alf Garnett) died last night. The last of his generation, wonderful and funny man RIP

— Jerry Barnett (@jerrybarnett) November 14, 2015

He is survived by his wife Constance Wake and three children.