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| Actor and director Jeffries dies | Actor and director Jeffries dies |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The well-known actor and film director Lionel Jeffries has died at the age of 83, his family has announced. | |
| Best known for directing The Railway Children and appearing in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, his long career spanned theatre, film and television. | Best known for directing The Railway Children and appearing in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, his long career spanned theatre, film and television. |
| Known for his bald head, baritone voice and bristling moustache, the London-born actor trained at RADA before making his screen debut in 1950. | Known for his bald head, baritone voice and bristling moustache, the London-born actor trained at RADA before making his screen debut in 1950. |
| In later years he played the loveable Grandad in children's TV show Woof! | In later years he played the loveable Grandad in children's TV show Woof! |
| Jenny Agutter, star of The Railway Children, remembered him as being "an extraordinary character" and "wonderfully funny". | |
| "He was a total dear work with," she told the BBC. "He very much created a family on set." | |
| He was seen (with Madge Ryan) in a 1992 episode of Casualty | |
| Born in the East End in 1926, Jeffries served in Burma during World War II and would often blame its humidity for his hair loss. | Born in the East End in 1926, Jeffries served in Burma during World War II and would often blame its humidity for his hair loss. |
| His career saw him play an array of larger-than-life characters, notably the Marquis of Queensbury in 1960 drama The Trials of Oscar Wilde. | His career saw him play an array of larger-than-life characters, notably the Marquis of Queensbury in 1960 drama The Trials of Oscar Wilde. |
| Despite the success of The Railway Children, he only made four more films as a director. | Despite the success of The Railway Children, he only made four more films as a director. |
| These included The Amazing Mr Blunden in 1972, Wombling Free in 1977 and The Water Babies the following year. | These included The Amazing Mr Blunden in 1972, Wombling Free in 1977 and The Water Babies the following year. |
| Jeffries's features served him well over the years but would often consign him to authority figures and elderly relatives. | Jeffries's features served him well over the years but would often consign him to authority figures and elderly relatives. |
| He played Dick Van Dyke's father in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, despite being the US actor's junior by six months. | He played Dick Van Dyke's father in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, despite being the US actor's junior by six months. |
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