Richard Briers passed away today at the age of 79. He died at home with his family in London.
He was a prolific actor with a huge range of credits to his name but he was most famous for the comedy series the Good Life. He was also a well renowned Shakespearean actor.
For sci-fi fans, he played the Caretaker in Paradise Towers; the second Doctor Who story of Sylvester McCoy’s turbulent first season. He also appeared in Torchwood’s second season as a dying man in ‘A Day in the Death’.
His movie credits included 1994’s Frankenstein with Robert De Niro and Kenneth Branagh, Spiceworld, Watership Down and Henry V. I grew up watching Roobarb which Richard narrated and I still remember it vividly. It isn’t until a celebrity dies that you realize sometimes how much of an impact they had on you as a child.
And in one of his final roles, Richard became a zombie killer in the movie Cockneys versus Zombies where he stole the show. He plays Hamish, one of the occupants of a nursing home under siege by the undead and the only man in history that can outrun a zombie on a zimmer frame then used same frame to fire a machine gun at the hordes. Only an actor that knows his stuff can make comic timing seem so effortless.
We at FTN would like to bid Richard a fond farewell. Rest in peace, sir.
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
Nerd Comments