Heartbeat actor William Simons has died aged 78, his agent has announced.
The star, who played PC Alf Ventress in all 18 series of the ITV show, became a fixture on the nation's screens on Sunday nights between 1992 and 2010.
Simons' character was characterised by his grumpiness but his bark was often worse than his bite and he also smoked heavily. He loved the show so much that he and his late wife Janie bought a house in village of Goathland where it was filmed - but later had to sell it as he was recognised so often.
He said of his beloved character: "Alf Ventress had no particular ambition in life. He spent his time behind the desk; he was a heavy smoker - unlike me. I don't smoke, so we used herbal cigarettes.
"Heartbeat gave me enormous pleasure because everyone got along so well. People still stop me to say how much they love watching the repeats."
The Swansea-born star initially broke through as a child actor on stage but his career was held up by him having severe acne, which caused him to step back to a stage manager's role.
Eventually though, he stepped back into the limelight himself and put together an impressive six-decade long career in the industry.
Simons also appeared in Coronation Street , Emmerdale, Minder and The Sweeney and had a recurring roles in Crown Court and the BBC’s Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. As well as that, he starred in classic shows such as Last of the Summer Wine, Bergerac, Lovejoy and The Darling Buds of May.
After Heartbeat finished, he spent much of his time at the home he purchased in France. Widowed in 2002, he is now survived by his second wife, Jackie.
