‘Good Life’ actor Briers dies after ‘ciggies get him’

The British actor Richard Briers, best known for the 1970s television sit-com The Good Life but also for his Shakespearean roles, has died at the age of 79.

The actor, who spent his life on the stage, had recently spoken publicly of battling a serious lung condition for years, saying “the ciggies got me” after a lifetime smoking habit.

He was diagnosed with emphysema five years ago even though he gave up smoking 10 years ago.

“I was diagnosed five years ago and didn’t think it would go quite as badly as it has,” he said in a newspaper interview last month. “I used to love smoking. It’s totally my fault.”

His agent said he died on Sunday at his London home.

Briers’s career ranged from television, to theatre, to film and radio with the actor, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making his West End debut in the late 1950s.

In The Good Life, he played alongside Felicity Kendal as a married couple who decide to drop out of the rat race and try a life of self-sufficiency.

His film credits included A Chorus Of Disapproval in 1989 and Watership Down in 1978 in which he was the voice of Fiver. He also narrated the children’s cartoon series Roobarb and Custard.

But he won acclaim for his Shakespearean work after joining Kenneth Branagh’s Renaissance Theatre Company.

He appeared in a list of Branagh’s films including Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet.

Briers, who was married with two daughters, was awarded an OBE in 1989 for services to the arts.

Branagh paid tribute to Briers, telling reporters: “He was a national treasure, a great actor and a wonderful man. He was greatly loved and he will be deeply missed.”

Actor Stephen Fry on Twitter described him as “the most adorable and funny man imaginable”.

His agent, Christopher Farrar, of Hamilton Hodell, said: “Richard was a wonderful man, a consummate professional and an absolute joy to work alongside.

“Following his recent discussion of his battle with emphysema, I know he was incredibly touched by the strength of support expressed by friends and the public.

“He has a unique and special place in the hearts of so many. He will be greatly missed.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go to his family at this sad time.”

His godson, the actor and director Samuel West — whose mother Prunella Scales appeared alongside Briers in Marriage Lines — said on Twitter: “What a lot of joy he spread. He was just a wonderful colleague and a dear friend.’

Shane Allen, the BBC’s controller for comedy commissioning, said: “Richard Briers holds a very special place in British sitcom history having starred in several monumentally successful and well-loved shows.

“He was an incredibly accomplished actor who enjoyed a long, varied and distinguished career and will be greatly missed.”