Dam Buster Star Todd Dies

The Irish-born actor Richard Todd - best known for his role in the classic war film The Dam Busters - has died at the age of 90.

Todd, renowned for his role in the 1954 epic, was also a war hero in his own right.

Born in Dublin in 1919, he was one of the first soldiers to parachute into France on D-Day.

He served as an British Army officer in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry as well as serving as a paratrooper in the 6th Airborne Division.

A spokesman for his family said he died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday at his home near Grantham in Lincolnshire.

She said in a statement: "He had been suffering from cancer, an illness that he bore with his habitual courage and dignity. His family were with him throughout."

Earlier this year he celebrated his 90th birthday with a quiet gathering near his home.

In his heyday, Richard Todd was one of British cinema's biggest box office draws.

The role with which he was forever associated was that of Wing Commander Guy Gibson in The Dam Busters.

It told of the development of the bouncing bomb used during Operation Chastise to destroy the Ruhr dams in Germany.

Todd was also the first choice of author Ian Fleming to play James Bond, but because of other commitments he had to turn it down.

The role went to Sean Connery. His other film roles include Robin Hood in Robin Hood and his Merrie Men and he continued to act well into his 80s.

(LB/BMcc)