Jeremy Kemp dead: Z Cars star dies aged 84 after health battle

Z Cars star Jeremy Kemp has died aged 84 after a battle with ill health.

The actor, who played PC Bob Steele, in the series died earlier on 19 July.

Reports suggest he had been struggling with "considerable" health issues for some time.

He is said to have taken a turn for the worse following the death of his American partner Christopher Harter.

Kemp, from Derbyshire, is best known for his role in the 1960s classic TV show which followed a police force based in a fictional Liverpool suburb.

He played police officer Steele who was brought in to tackle a crime wave sweeping the region's estates.

The role was famously turned down by Michael Caine before it went to Kemp.

After joining in 1962, he left mid-way through the second season.

Kemp is said to have been fearful of being typecast and hated wearing his police uniform costume.

However, he returned to the show in 1978 for the final episode playing a vagrant.

His role as a policeman came back to haunt him several years after he left the show when he was arrested for throwing water in an officer's face.

He was charged with assault, and was later given a conditional discharge.

After starting his career in the army, he became a lieutenant in the Black Watch beforeturning to the stage and training as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Kemp landed roles in theatre and radio before his big break in Z Cars, and after the show he broke into film.

He appeared in Operation Crossbow (1965) with Sophia Loren and The Blue Max with George Peppard.

The actor continued landing roles in TV and theatre over the years, with one of his big roles coming in the award-winning TV adaptation of The Winds of War in 1983.

He's also remembered for playing Robert Picard, the elder brother of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and a brief role in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

He is survived by two sisters.

Source: www.irishmirror.ie