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Victor Spinetti dies aged 82

Tony-award winner worked alongside The Beatles, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Sellers

Acting legend Victor Spinetti has died at the age of 82.

He will be best known for his roles in ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and ‘Help’, two of the biggest Beatles films.

Born above a family-owned chip shop in Cwm, Ebbw Vale to an Italian-Welsh father and a Welsh mother, he also enjoyed a lengthy career on stage, including a stint in the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Among the 30+ films he starred in were three of the five Beatles films, ‘Return of the Pink Panther’ alongside Peter Sellers and ‘The Taming of the Shrew, which also starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Sir Paul McCartney described him as "the man who makes clouds disappear".

He initially wanted to be a teacher, having studied at Monmouth School but switched his focuses to acting and attended the College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

His breakthrough stage role was in ‘Oh, What a Lovely War!’, a part for which he won a Tony award and that saw him approached to work with The Beatles.

Spinetti’s connection to the Fab Four didn’t end there. He also helped adapt John Lennon’s book ‘In His Own Write’ into a play which he directed at the National Theatre.

TV fans may remember him as the voice of Texas Pete in the S4C children’s animation ‘SuperTed’.

He had been diagnosed with cancer.