His family says he passed away "peacefully in his sleep, after a long battle with cancer".
He attended state boarding Ottershaw School near Woking. He left school and worked as a trainee estate agent before becoming a professional actor.
His character in the BBC sitcom was a cigar-smoking businessman with a mocking laugh, who was married to the feisty Marlene.
Sue Holderness, who played Marlene, says she will miss him "every day".
Sir David Jason has described him as "a gentleman in the true sense of the word".