Pride and Prejudice star Benjamin Whitrow

Benjamin Whitrow, the actor best known for playing Mr Bennet in Andrew Davies’ 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, has died at the age of 80.

The six-part series made an international star of Colin Firth and won a host of awards.

Both Firth, who played Mr Darcy, and Whitrow were nominated in the best actor category of the Baftas for their performances but lost out to Robbie Coltrane, who won for Cracker.

Following the success of Pride and Prejudice, Whitrow continued to work in television and also voiced the character Fowler in the 2000 animated film Chicken Run.

He also appeared in the movies Quadrophenia and Clockwise, which starred John Cleese.

Equally at home on stage, Laurence Olivier once said he had “never given a bad performance”.

His other notable TV appearances include roles in The New Statesman alongside Rik Mayall and as Archbishop Warham in Wolf Hall.

He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1981.

He is survived by his wife Catherine and three children.

Whitrow played Mr Bennet.