Richard O’Sullivan: Man About the House and Robin’s Nest star dies aged 82

Richard O’Sullivan, best known for his role as Robin Tripp in the 1970s sitcoms Man About The House and Robin’s Nest, has died at the age of 82. O’Sullivan, who also played the title character in the period adventure Dick Turpin, “passed away peacefully surrounded by his close family” on Friday, according to the Royal Variety Charity. The actor died at the Royal Variety Charity’s Care Home, Brinsworth House in Twickenham, where he has lived for the past 23 years, the charity said.

His son James O’Sullivan paid tribute to his father, saying: “My dad was as funny and charming in real life as he appeared on our TV screens over the years. They have been truly amazing and will always hold a special place in my heart.” O’ Sullivan’s career began as a child actor, when he appeared in The Yellow Balloon in 1953 at the age of eight. New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.

Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. He later appeared in Sir Peter Hall’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Stratford in 1956.

He appeared in two films with Sir Cliff Richard in the 1960s – The Young Ones in 1961 and Wonderful Life in 1964, and in 1963 he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra, in the role of Pharoah Ptolemy XIII. Man About The House ran for six series from 1973, following the trials and tribulations of a man sharing a London flat with two single women. He starred opposite Paula Wilcox as Chrissy and Sally Thomsett as Jo.

Spin-off Robin’s Nest aired for six series from 1977 and followed Robin as a qualified chef as he sets up home with his girlfriend, and a business with his girlfriend’s father. Giles Cooper, life-president of the Royal Variety, paid tribute to O’Sullivan saying: “Richard O’Sullivan was a master of effortless charm and impeccable comic timing, bringing pure warmth, wit, and unforgettable joy to millions of living rooms as a true giant of British television.