Actor Frank Finlay who has died in aged 89

Mark Gatiss, Sir Roger Moore and Alexander Armstrong are among those who have paid tribute to actor Frank Finlay, who has died aged 89. Gatiss praised him for his “wonderfully fiery presence on stage and screen”. The Lancashire-born actor’s death was announced his website on Saturday.

The message read: “We are very saddened to announce that Frank died 30 January 2016 at home surrounded by his family. He was a fine actor and will be very much missed by his friends and family.” The family said he had been “renowned for his kindness and generosity” and his death was an “inestimable loss to the acting world”. On TV, Finlay made a name for himself in 1971’s Casanova, cementing his reputation in Bouquet of Barbed Wire. Finlay, a star of the Three Musketeer films, earned an Oscar nomination for his role as Iago opposite Laurence Olivier in Othello in 1965. Finlay died at home in Weybridge, Surrey, from heart failure after a short illness.