Irish actor David Kelly dies aged 82
- Published
Irish stage and screen actor David Kelly, known for films such as Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has died aged 82.
Dublin-born Kelly also played feckless builder Mr O'Reilly in Fawlty Towers but is perhaps best remembered for riding a motorbike naked in the comedy Waking Ned.
He earned a Screen Actors' Guild nomination for the 1998 film.
Kelly was married to actor Laurie Morton and had two children.
His friend, Ballykissangel star Niall Toibin, told the Press Association: "He was a hilarious man. He had an outlook on life that was slightly skewed and made you laugh all the time."
He praised Kelly's "wicked sense of humour".
In a 50-year career, Kelly's roles ranged from the dramatic to the comedic.
In his native Ireland, he is well known for the historical drama mini-series Strumpet City, which starred Peter O'Toole and Peter Ustinov.
In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement award at the Irish Film and Television Awards.
The same year, he was seen by cinema audiences as Grandpa Joe Bucket in Burton's adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, opposite Johnny Depp.
Kelly's final film role was in the 2007 British fantasy film Stardust, as a deceptively nimble, high-kicking wall guard.