Actor who appeared in multiple classic British TV shows, Gary Waldhorn, passed away at the age of 78.

His death was initially announced to the public on January 11, with no cause of death disclosed. Two days later, it was confirmed by his family that the actor died "peacefully," 6:45 in the morning, January 10, Monday.

A statement from Waldhorn's son read, "Classically trained, it was the theatre where he truly flourished and he leaves a legacy of entertainment that saw him frequent the boards of Broadway, the West End and our living rooms on the telly!"

"He leaves behind his two grandsons, Cooper and Bayley, and his son, Josh. We will all miss him terribly."

Waldhorn's Iconic Appearances

According to The Guardian, Waldhorn was born in Paddington, central London, in 1943. He was a Yale School of Drama alum, which is where he met his theater director, playwright, and novelist wife, Christie Dickason. The two shared one son.

The British actor was widely known for becoming the "mean-spirited" councilor David Horton on the much-loved BBC sitcom "Vicar of Dibley," from 1994 to 2007.

He recently participated in the show's Christmas special, "The Vicar of Dibley in Lockdown," alongside comedienne French, who portrayed Rev Geraldine Granger, and James Fleet, who played his on-screen son, Hugo.

Aside from the TV sitcom, Waldhorn also participated in more classic British shows such as "The Sweeney," "Brush Strokes," and "Hotel Babylon." He also featured in the 1987 comedy sketch show "French And Saunders."

As also reported by the same source, Waldhorn accomplished a Shakespearean title role and played "Henry IV" at The Old Vic Theater in London.

"I liked acting as a child and I remember as a first-former in London we were given tickets to the Old Vic to see a Shakespeare play," he once admitted to The Sun. "I saw Richard Burton play Henry V and my life changed. I came home and said I wanted to be a Shakespearean actor. "

The actor's fans and colleagues have shared their tribute to the actor as soon as they heard the news.

The BBC sitcom's Geraldine Granger, Dawn French, tweeted a broken heart emoji, attaching a photo of Waldhorn.

Actor who previously worked on stage with Waldhorn, Robert Lindsay, also posted on social media, saying, "And during all this madness news of dear #garywaldhorn passing." "Such great memories of working with him and my wonderful pal Trevor Peacock at @rxtheatre," he added.


May his soul rest in peace.