Warren Clarke dead: Actor dies after 'short illness' aged 67

The British actor, who starred in Call The Midwife last year, was best known for his role in the detective drama

Warren Clarke has died aged 67, his agent has confirmed.

The British actor was best known for his role in TV show Dalziel And Pascoe.

He also appeared in popular drama Call The Midwife in 2013.

As well as his recognisable appearances on the small screen, Clarke starred in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.

Born in Oldham in 1947, he died after a “short illness”, his agency, the Independent Talent Group, said.

“The actor Warren Clarke died peacefully in his sleep on November 12 2014, after a short illness,” a statement from the agency read.

“He will be greatly missed by his family and loved ones. At this time we ask that you respect their privacy in their time of grief.”

He is survived by his wife Michelle.

Leaving school aged 15, he started out as a copy boy working for the Manchester Evening News before later moving on to amateur dramatics at the Huddersfield Rep and the Liverpool Playhouse.

His acting career began in the late Sixties, when he scored roles in TV dramas Softly Softly, The Avengers, Callan and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

During the Eighties, he made small screen appearances in Boon, Bergerac, The Manageress and Lovejoy, as well as Blackadder The Third.

In the Nineties, he notched up credits in Sleepers, A Respectable Trade, Giving Tongue, The Locksmith, and The Mystery Of Men.

But his most famous role was the part of Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel in the BBC crime drama Dalziel and Pascoe – a popular series based on the novels by British author Reginald Hill – which debuted in 1996. He starred alongside actor Colin Buchanan as Detective Inspector Peter Pascoe until 2007.

“The man's a chauvinist pig whose idea of a good night out is swilling back ten pints in the pub with his supper waiting for him and the little woman tucked up in bed with a welcoming smile,” he told The Mirror of his character in 1997.

“I like going to the pub but my wife goes with me, too. Blokes like Dalziel just see women as sex objects.”

More recently, he starred opposite Pauline Quirk in Down to Earth in 2002 and in the 2005 adaptation of Bleak House as Lawrence Boythorn.

He also played the role of John Lacey in Call The Midwife in 2013.