Robert Hardy, a veteran British stage and screen actor who played Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter movies, has died. He was 91. Between 1978 and 1990 he played eccentric veterinarian Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, a popular show based on James Herriot’s books. In a statement, Hardy’s family said he was also “a meticulous linguist, a fine artist, a lover of music and a champion of literature, as well a highly respected historian, and a leading specialist on the longbow”.
They said he was also part of the team that raised Tudor warship the Mary Rose, which sank off England’s south coast in 1545.
“Gruff, elegant, twinkly, and always dignified, he is celebrated by all who knew him and loved him, and everyone who enjoyed his work,” the family said.