Actor Burt Kwouk OBE has died at the age of 85. He would have turned 86 in July.

The Warrington-born actor was best known for playing Peter Sellers's sidekick, Cato, in the Pink Panther films, and as Last Of The Summer Wine's Entwistle.

Raised in Shanghai, he studied in the US before moving back to Britain in the mid 1950s.

Kwouk's acting credits stretch back to the later that same decade, with roles in TV's Hancock's Half Hour and Michael Winner's The Cool Mikado film amongst his earliest work.

Rising to international fame alongside Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies, he was also admired for roles in TV series including Tenko, Doctor Who, The Sentimental Agent and The House Of Eliott, and appeared in numerous James Bond films.

From the early 2000s until the show's cancellation in 2010, Burt rose to TV prominence again as electrical and mechanical engineer Entwistle in the world's longest-running sitcom, Last Of The Summer Wine. Such was the popularity of his character that he rose to become one of the starring trio in the final line-up of the series.

Other comedy credits include working repeatedly with Harry Hill throughout the 1990s, both on television and radio; Lucky Feller; It Ain't Half Hot Mum; The Kenny Everett Television Show; and Yes - Honestly.

His agent said today: "Beloved actor Burt Kwouk has sadly passed peacefully away. The family will be having a private funeral but there will be a memorial at a later date."

The following video sees Burt Kwuok discussing his career at the Cinema Museum in 2010.