1973 Sitcom Icon, Who Starred in ‘One of British TV’s Greatest Comedy Hits,’ Dies at 82

Richard O’Sullivan, the actor best remembered for playing Robin Tripp in the 1970s British sitcom Man About the House, has died at 82.

He passed away peacefully with his family by his side at the Royal Variety Charity’s care home, Brinsworth House in Twickenham, where he had lived for the past 23 years, the organization confirmed Friday.

O’Sullivan’s career stretched back to childhood; he first appeared on screen at age eight in The Yellow Balloon in 1953, and by 1956 he was performing in Peter Hall’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. In the 1960s, he shared the screen with Cliff Richard in The Young Ones and Wonderful Life, and in 1963 played Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra.

But it was Man About the House, which ran for six series starting in 1973, that made him a household name. The sitcom followed Robin Tripp sharing a London flat with two single women, played by Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett, and was considered daring for its time. O’Sullivan reprised the role in the spin-off Robin’s Nest, and later took on the title role in the series Dick Turpin.

O’Sullivan’s son, James, paid tribute to his father, saying he was “as funny and charming in real life as he appeared on our TV screens.” He described his father as kind-spirited, good-humored, and a doting grandfather, and thanked the staff at Brinsworth House for their care over the years.

Giles Cooper, life president of the Royal Variety Charity, remembered O’Sullivan as “a master of effortless charm and impeccable comic timing,” saying he brought warmth and joy to millions of living rooms as one of British television’s true greats.

Decades after Man About the House first aired, reruns have continued to introduce O’Sullivan’s work to new generations, cementing his place as one of the defining comic actors of British television’s golden sitcom era.