THE RENOWNED actor Robert Hardy had a long and significant association with Oxford and Oxfordshire.

Having read English under JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis at Oxford, he would go on to become synonymous with the role of Winston Churchill, famously born at Blenheim Palace, who he played at least nine times throughout his career.

He was also known for his support of charity Respite nursing for Oxfordshire’s Sick Youngsters (ROSY) – which praised his ‘kind-hearted’ nature following the news.

Mr Hardy was born Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy in Cheltenham on October 29, 1925, to parents Jocelyn and Henry.

He won a place at Magdalen College, Oxford, but his studies were interrupted by service in the Royal Air Force.

Following his time in the RAF, Mr Hardy returned to the college where he earned an English degree under the tutorage of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.

He launched a career as a stage actor at the age of 24, joining the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1949.

The young actor made his first foray into film in 1958, playing the role of a naval officer in Torpedo Run. Seven years later he appeared in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold with his university friend Richard Burton.

A few other roles followed before Mr Hardy took to the small screen as the eccentric Siegfried in All Creatures Great and Small.

A roaring success, the popularity of the show saw it attract audiences of about 20 million and made Mr Hardy a household name.

In 1981 he was made a CBE and also played Churchill for the first time, a role that he would return to over the next four decades.

His first role as the former Prime Minister was in The Wilderness Years, which chronicled the period in the 1920s and ‘30s in which Churchill was in political exile and his warnings about Hitler's rise to power went unheard.

He would continue to return to the role throughout his career, most recently in the 2015 ITV drama Churchill: 100 Days that Saved Britain.

In more recent years he would gain the affection of younger audiences by appearing in the Harry Potter series of films as the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge.

Despite studying English, Mr Barker had a great passion for history and was a leading specialist on the longbow, leading him to write two books on the subject.

He was also part of the team that raised The Mary Rose.

For many years until recently he lived on the Cornbury Estate, near Charlbury

Both of Mr Hardy’s marriages – to Elizabeth Fox and Sally Pearson – ended in divorce.

He died, aged 91, on Thursday, August 3, and is survived by his three children Paul, Emma and Justine.