Actor Richard Johnson dies aged 87

British actor, writer and producer Richard Johnson has died aged 87, his family has said.

The film, theatre and television star died after a short illness at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, west London, the BBC reports.

Johnson worked for more than 60 years and starred in the Boy In The Striped Pyjamas in 2008 and Khartoum, 1996, alongside Charles Heston and Laurence Olivier.

His family said he was offered the role of James Bond in the 1960s but turned down the role.

He was also a founding member of the Royal Shakespeare company and played Romeo and Mark Anthony in Julius Caesar.