Best known for his TV roles, he also featured in a number of Kenneth Branagh movies.

LONDON -- Actor Richard Briers has died at age 79.  He is best known for his long-running role on British TV’s The Good Life and also was an accomplished film and stage actor. He had been battling a serious lung condition for several years.

Briers had roles in several of Kenneth Branagh’s movies, including Peter’s Friends, Much Ado About Nothing, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Henry V and Hamlet.

Briers appeared in many British films, most recently in the comedy Cockneys vs Zombies. He also had a recent cameo role in Run For Your Wife, based on Ray Cooney's 1980s stage farce.

His agent, Christopher Farrar, said: "Richard was a wonderful man, a consummate professional and an absolute joy to work alongside.”