British acting stalwart Robert Hardy has died, aged 91, his family has confirmed.

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A statement from Hardy's family said: "It is with great sadness that the family of Robert Hardy CBE today announced his death, following a tremendous life: a giant career in theatre, television and film spanning more than 70 years."

Hardy was arguably best known as Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, the popular BBC adaptation of James Herriot's novels about a family of vets which ran for seven series between 1978 and 1990, but he was introduced to a new generation as Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter films.

Hardy's extensive theatre, television and film career spanned seven decades, with other notable screen roles including master blackmailer Charles Augustus Milverton opposite Jeremy Brett in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes and in 2015 as Winston Churchill in ITV's Churchill: 100 Days That Saved Britain.

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Hardy leaves behind three children.

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