Grange Hill and Sweeny Todd actor Lee Whitlock dies aged 54

Former Grange Hill and Sweeny Todd actor Lee Whitlock has died aged 54, his acting agency confirmed on Monday

The British star began his career a child actor in the early 1980s before establishing himself as a cast-member on long-running school drama Grange Hill, where he played Bevis Loveday.

Confirming his death in a social media post, agency Urban Collective wrote: 'Saddened by the death of our client Lee Whitlock.

'Lee was a great character & a great actor who has left a legacy of brave & groundbreaking work achieved at a particularly young age.

'Lee was hugely entertaining, funny & positive to work with, condolences to family & friends. RIP.'

The actor is understood to have passed away on Friday. A cause of death is yet to be announced.

Whitlock took supporting roles in a series of hit films throughout his career, among them director David Leland's iconic 1987 dramady, Wish You Were Here.

He also starred alongside established Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, playing a police officer in Tim Burton's 2007 musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

But he is perhaps best known for his TV work, with his first notable appearance coming in the hugely popular sitcom Shine On Harvey Moon.