British actor Richard O’Sullivan, best known for playing Robin Tripp in the television series Man About the House and Robin’s Nest, has died aged 82.
The 1970s sitcom Man About the House followed two young women who took in a male housemate at a time when mixed-sex cohabitation was often frowned upon. To reassure their landlords, a married couple living downstairs, they claimed their new housemate was gay despite him being heterosexual. The series used comedy to explore social attitudes of the era.
The show ran for six series and starred Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy alongside O’Sullivan.
Its success spawned two spin-offs. Robin’s Nest followed Robin Tripp after he married and opened a bistro with his new girlfriend, while George and Mildred centred on the landlords after they moved to the suburbs. The format was later adapted in the United States as Three’s Company.
O’Sullivan died surrounded by close family at Brinsworth House, the Royal Variety Charity’s care home in west London, where he had lived for 23 years.
In a statement, Giles Cooper of the Royal Variety Charity described O’Sullivan as “a master of effortless charm and impeccable comic timing”, adding that he brought “pure warmth, wit and unforgettable joy to millions of living rooms”.
The actor’s son, James O’Sullivan, said his father was “as funny and charming in real life” as he appeared on television and praised the work that made him a respected and beloved performer.
“My dad was as funny and charming in real life as he appeared on our TV screens over the years. Always kind spirited, good humoured, a doting grandfather and a wonderful dad – I will miss him dearly.
“Although much of his career happened before I was born, I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy and witness his incredible talents on the countless re-runs of his shows that made him the respected and loved actor that he was.”
O’Sullivan began acting as a child and successfully transitioned into adult roles. His film credits included Spare the Rod (1961), Cleopatra (1963), and the Cliff Richard films The Young Ones and Wonderful Life.
His defining role came in 1973 with Man About the House. He played Robin Tripp throughout the show’s six-series run before reprising the role in the spin-off Robin’s Nest.
He later starred in Dick Turpin from 1979 to 1982 and Me and My Girl from 1984 to 1988. One of his final television roles came in Trouble in Mind (1991), which followed a married psychiatrist experiencing a midlife crisis.
O’Sullivan was briefly married to model Diana Terry in 1971, and was in long-term relationships with co-stars Sally Thomsett and Tessa Wyatt, with whom he had his son James. Wyatt was married to top British DJ Tony Blackburn whom she left for O’Sullivan, causing Blackburn to lament his heartbreak on air for months. He was later married to Christine Smart from 1987 to 1994.
After retiring from public life in the mid-1990s, he lived with his son. Following a stroke in 2003, he moved to Brinsworth House, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Former partner and co-star Sally Thomsett posted a tribute to social media saying: “He was talented, kind and funny, I am lucky to have the most wonderful memories of him that will never leave, he was so loved by so many.”
