English actor Ronald Pickup, best known for his roles in The Crown and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films, has died at the age of 80.

His agent said he “passed away peacefully” on February 24 “after a long illness surrounded by his wife and family”, adding the actor “will be deeply missed”, BBC reports.

Most will remember him best as the archbishop of Canterbury in the 2016 season of The Crown, and Norman Cousins in the Marigold Hotel films in 2011 and 2015, which also starred Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith. He also starred in the 1983 Bond film Never Say Never Again, Darkest Hour, The Mission and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

He has also made appearances in shows including Vera, Coronation Street, Doc Martin, Parade’s End, The Bill and Silent Witness, and several well-known stage shows, such as Amy’s View.

The National Theatre (NT) in London was one of the first to pay tribute to the late actor, writing on Twitter, “We’re very sad to hear that Ronald Pickup has died. Ronald was an exceptional actor and had a long history with the NT, starting with 1964’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun. He went on to feature in 36 of our productions, and was a regular at The Old Vic under Laurence Olivier.”

Fans have also shared their condolences, with Twitter user @worldoftelly commenting, “Sad to hear that Ronald Pickup has died. A fine actor with a tremendous voice.”

And @JohnNhslove added, “Very sad to hear Ronald Pickup has died. A favourite actor of mine and one whom I was lucky enough to see on stage.” While @cnayloractor wrote, “Very sad to hear about Ronald Pickup. Such a wonderful actor. His Prince Yakimov in Fortunes Of War was one of my very favourite performances by anyone in anything, ever.”

Pickup is survived by his wife Lans Traverse, who he married in 1964, and their two children.