Veteran actor dies

Veteran actor and director Lionel Jeffries, whose credits include films such as The Railway Children and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, has died.

By The Newsroom

Published 19th Feb 2010, 16:01 BST

Updated 19th Feb 2010, 16:01 BST

The Rada-trained star, who was associated with a number of children's classics, was 83.

Jeffries was an instantly recognisable figure and became a familiar face in film and TV for decades.

A spokeswoman for his agent, the Liz Hobbs Group, said his death followed a long illness.

Among his many achievements, Jeffries not only directed but scripted The Railway Children.

However his on-screen appearances were much more plentiful than his career behind the camera.

Jeffries clocked up roles in dozens of films when the British film industry was flourishing with movies such as First Men In The Moon, Camelot and his performance as Grandpa Potts in enduring children's film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

During the 1980s and 1990s, he made many TV appearances.

RADA