Carry On star Leslie Phillips has died at the age of 98.
The veteran actor died “peacefully in his sleep” on Monday, his agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed to the PA news agency.
Leslie spent eight decades in the spotlight and was best known for his roles in the Carry On films, where he became famed for his suggestive catchphrases which included “Ding Dong”, “Well, hello” and “I Say!”.
His death leaves Jim Dale, 86, the last surviving regular from the Carry On films.
Speaking about Leslie’s death, his wife Zara, 63, said (via The Sun): “I’ve lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman.
“He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.
“When we married he cheekily introduced me to the Press as royalty, insisting I was the new Zara Phillips and that I was related to the Queen.”
Leslie was also known for some of his later, more dramatic roles, including a Bafta-nominated turn opposite Peter O’Toole in 2006’s Venus.
We was also known to a new generation as the voice of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films.
Leslie suffered a stroke in 2014 while on a shopping trip on London’s Oxford Street but made a strong recovery and returned home following a hospital stay.
He was made an OBE in the 1998 Birthday Honours and CBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.
