Friday Night Dinner and EastEnders actor Harry Landis dies, aged 90
The actor was best known for playing Mr Morris in the Channel 4 comedy.
Friday Night Dinner star Harry Landis has died at the age of 90, his agent has confirmed.
The actor and director, who played Mr Morris in the Channel 4 comedy, passed away on Monday (12th September).
A statement on Facebook read: "Sad news. Our lovely client Harry Landis has passed to spirit.
"Harry had an amazing career and gained a new following in later life as Mr Morris in Friday Night Dinner. It was a privilege to have worked with him as a client. Harry you will be sadly missed. RIP."
Landis enjoyed a long and varied career in theatre, film and television spanning over 60 years.
His first TV role was in the pilot episode of Dixon of Dock Green in 1955. He went on to appear in a number of further episodes, including the final one more than 20 years later.
The actor appeared in several more shows over the course of his career including playing barber Felix Kawalski in EastEnders, and featured in Goodnight Sweetheart, Minder and Casualty.
But it was his hilarious antics as grumpy and critical Mr Morris – likened by Jim to Hitler – in the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner for which he remains best known.
Landis first appeared in the series as Grandma’s new boyfriend in season 2, when he crashed his car into the family home and made an even worse impression once inside, attempting to fight various family members.
The character reappeared in season 3 and – much to the horror of her family – got engaged to Grandma.
Landis also starred in a number of films over the years including Bitter Victory, Edge of Sanity, Ransom, The Informers, Private Potter, Dunkirk and Operation Bullshine.
Friday Night Dinner writer Robert Popper shared his condolences, writing on Twitter: "It is with great sadness that Harry Landis - aka Mr Morris in Friday Night Dinner - has passed away. He was a brilliantly funny, wonderful man. Our greatest guest star."
Fellow Friday Night Dinner cast member Tracy-Ann Oberman, who played Auntie Val on the show, also took to Twitter to pay tribute following the sad news of his passing.
"Bloody loved #HarryLandis. I am so sorry to hear of his passing," she wrote.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
