Actor and Director Lionel Jeffries Dies at 83

Veteran actor and director Lionel Jeffries died on Friday in a nursing home in Dorset, South West England, at age 83. A spokeswoman for his agent said, "We can confirm he passed away this morning following a long illness."

Lionel Jeffries studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and made his stage debut in 'Carrington V.C.' at the Westminster Theatre in London in 1949. Jeffries appeared in various stage productions, including in the role of Horace Vandergelder in the 1984 London production of 'Hello, Dolly!' and in the 1987 Broadway production of 'Pygmalion' in which he played Colonel Pickering opposite Peter O'Toole's Henry Higgins.

Jeffries' many film roles include 'Grandpa Potts' in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', the Marquis of Queensbury in the 1960 drama 'The Trials of Oscar Wilde', and King Pellinore in 'Camelot'. Jeffries also directed various films including 'The Railway Children', 'The Amazing Mr Blunden', and 'The Water Babies'.