William Simons died yesterday at the age of 79, his agent has confirmed.
The actor is best known for playing PC Alf Ventress in Heartbeat between 1992 and 2010.
He also had roles in ITV soap Coronation Street, The Bill and The Royal during his career.
William’s most recent role was in an episode of Casualty, back in 2014.
“The word gentleman really applied to him”
Bryn Newton
William’s agent Bryn Newton told The Sun Online: “He’ll be just terribly missed by anyone who ever met him.
“He was a much loved human, the word gentleman really applied to him. He was a gentle man.
“He worked every single year until about three years ago.”
Heartbeat ran for 18 series between 1992 and 2010, with William appearing in all of them.
It focused on a police force in rural Yorkshire, set in the 1960s.
His co-stars included the likes of Mark Jordon, who most recently appeared in Emmerdale, and Holby City’s Joe McFadden.
William played two different characters in Coronation Street in 1972 and then 1987.
His first stint saw him portray Harry Bates in two episodes, while his second saw him as Jim Crawley for two more.
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