The Equalizer star Edward Woodward has died aged 79, after suffering from various illnesses, his agent has confirmed.

Sir Christopher Lee, who starred alongside the veteran actor in horror movie The Wicker Man, described him as “a very good friend and a splendid actor”.

Woodward’s agent Janet Glass revealed that the actor had been suffering from various illnesses including pneumonia when he died.

She added that he had been ill for several months and died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, in Truro, surrounded by family and friends.

Glass said: “I knew him a very long time and he was a superb human being. That integrity shone through in the roles he played.

“I can’t ever remember, in all the productions he undertook, anyone having a bad word to say about him and he never had anything bad to say about anyone else either.”