Bewitched and Hogan's Heroes Actor Bernard Fox Is Dead 

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Veteran character actor Bernard Fox, known for his memorable roles on the classic TV series

The Welsh actor, most famous for portraying Dr. Bombay on

, died of heart failure at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, California, publicist Harlan Boll confirmed to EW.

Born in Wales in 1927, Fox was the child of two stage actors and nephew to

star Wilfrid Lawson. He joined the family business at a young age and was an assistant manager of a theater by the time he was 14, but his career was put on hold when he enlisted in the Royal Navy during World War II.

After the war, he returned to acting, getting his first television credits in 1955 on the British series

. Over the next decade, Fox made frequent appearances in British films and on television before scoring guest-starring roles on some of the most iconic American TV shows of the time, including

In 1965, the WWII veteran began his eight-episode arc as the bumbling Colonel Crittendon on

. The next year, Fox was enlisted for what was perhaps his most famous role: Dr. Bombay, the witch doctor on

. It’s a character that he would portray throughout the show’s run and then revive on the 1977 spin-off

fan site in 1998. “If I’d just gone for an ordinary doctor, you wouldn’t have heard any more about it. But because I made him such a colorful character, that’s why they wanted him back; he was easy to write for. They came up with the idea of him coming from different parts of the world all the time, and in different costumes; that was their idea. The puns, I came up with, and in those days, they let you do that.”

Fox went on to appear on various television series such as

, but his most notable projects late in his career were on the big screen, starring alongside Brendan Fraser in

. That role came 39 years after he appeared in the 1958 British film

, which also recounted the ill-fated ship’s final night.

The actor is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Jacqueline, daughter Amanda, daughter-in-law Lisa Wilke, and two grandchildren.

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