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London - Robert Hardy, a veteran British stage and screen actor who played Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter movies, has died at 91.
The screen and stage veteran's family announced that he died on Thursday.
"It is with great sadness that the family of Robert Hardy CBE today announced his death, following a tremendous life: a giant career in theatre, television and film spanning more than 70 years," a statement from his children Emma, Justine and Paul said.
They added: "Gruff, elegant, twinkly, and always dignified, he is celebrated by all who knew him and loved him, and everyone who enjoyed his work."
Born in 1925, Hardy began his career in Shakespearean roles onstage in Stratford-upon-Avon in the years after World War II.
He played avuncular veterinarian Siegfried Farnon in TV drama All Creatures Great and Small between 1978 and 1990, and portrayed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill onscreen half a dozen times.
In a statement Thursday, 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."
Hardy is survived by his children Paul, Justine and Emma.
