Clive Swift: keep appearances star dies at age 82

Actor Clive Swift, known to millions of people as Richard, the hen-pecked husband of Hyacinth Bucket, died at the age of 82 in BBC One's sitcom titled Keeping Up Appearances .

Swift, who spent 10 years at the RSC before appearing on television, also played in series such as Peak Practice, Born and Bred and The Old Guys.

He spent six years playing Richard in front of Lady Patricia Routledge.

The role has seen him patiently tolerate his stamped and invariably thwarted attempts at social escalation.

Off screen, he co-founded The Actors Center, a meeting place for members of his profession in central London.

Born in Liverpool in 1936, he had three children with his ex-wife, novelist Margaret Drabble.

Swift's many roles included a role in the 1972 film of Alfred Hitchbad, Frenzy, and the role of King Arthur's adoptive father in 1981, Excalibur.

Many years later, he would play Hitchbad in a BBC radio play Strangers on a Film.

Swift has made several appearances in Doctor Who, most recently in the 2007 episode, Voyage of the Damned.

According to his agent, the actor died Friday at his home after a short illness, surrounded by his family.

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