Actor David Huddleston was 85

David Huddleston, who played the title role in The Big Lebowski, has died at the age of 85.

His wife, Sarah Koeppe, told the Los Angeles Times that the veteran character actor died of kidney and lung disease in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

He also had a recurring role as the grandfather on the TV comedy The Wonder Years, played Father Christmas himself in Santa Claus: The Movie, alongside Dudley Moore, and appeared in Blazing Saddles and the 2005 version of The Producers.

He also starred in his owns hort-lived sitcom, Hizzonner, about the mayor of a small town, which ran for seven episodes in 1979.

Here are some of his comedy highlights (apologies for the autoplay, there's nothing we can do about it):

Blazing Saddles, 1974

'Authentic frontier gibberish'

Hizzonner

The Big Lebowski, 1998

The Producers, 2005

Published: 5 Aug 2016