Actor Robert Hardy dies

A family statement read:

"It is with great sadness that the family of Robert Hardy CBE today announced his death, following a tremendous life: a giant career in theatre, television and film spanning more than 70 years."

Hardy was known for playing Siegfried Farnon in BBC series All Creatures Great and Small, and the Minister For Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter films.

He was raised in Cheltenham, where his father was headmaster of Cheltenham College, and was educated at Rugby and Oxford. He began his career as a classical actor, once starring opposite Laurence Olivier, and also holds the distinction of having portrayed both Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt on screen.

Hardy was fond of Yorkshire, and was a patron of the Wensleydale Railway heritage line.