He is survived by his wife, Michele Dotrice and their daughter, and the three children of his first marriage. Woodward was born in Croydon, then in Surrey, and as a child was bombed out of his home three times during the second world war. Although it proved to be short-lived, it led the following year to his much more successful ITV true crime drama documentary series In Suspicious Circumstances, in which he guided viewers through some of the most celebrated British crimes of the 20th century.

After the latter play had its Broadway opening, Coward described Woodward in his diary: "One of the nicest and most co-operative actors I have ever met or worked with. At the end of the decade, he delivered one of his finest performances in "Breaker Morant" (1980), which made him an international star. Trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Woodward made his stage debut in a 1946 production of "A Kiss for Cinderella," and gained valuable experience in repertory companies throughout England and Scotland.In 1977, he starred in two series(series is sometimes BrE the AmE seasons) of the BBC2 dystopian drama 1990, about a future Britain lurching into totalitarianism. He also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in a 1978 adaptation of Saturday, Sunday, Monday in the Laurence Olivier Presents anthology series. Edward Albert Arthur Woodward was born in Croydon on June 1 1930, the only child of a factory worker, and educated at Kingston College.

The late 1950s saw him distinguishing himself at Stratford, as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and Laertes in Hamlet, then enjoying a popular success in Rattle of a Simple Man, opposite Sheila Hancock, at the Garrick in London in 1962. The cynical, former secret agent offered his services for free to those seeking revenge and had no qualms about using his gun to "equalize" matters for the aggrieved. Other non-musical stage work would include the comedy "The Best Laid Plans," an acclaimed title role in "Cyrano de Bergerac," as well as noble appearances in "The White Devil," "Babes in the Wood" (as Robin Hood), "The Wolf," "The Male of the Species," "The Beggar's Opera" (as Macheath), "Private Lives" and "The Dead Secret. He spent several years in provincial rep, where he was not quite a glamorous juvenile lead but too interesting to play heroes' best friend parts.Served up best in crime, historical and political intrigue, he has been completely at home playing no-nonsense authoritarians and brooding loner types.

The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. In 1969 and 1970, he was Television Actor of the Year, and Best Actor at the Sun Awards in 1970, 1971 and 1972.His ability as tenor let him record twelve albums of romantic songs, as well as three albums of poetry and fourteen books to tape.