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VETERAN actor Michael Ripper has died aged 87, leaving a legacy of 150 films and dozens of memorable television cameo performances.
The highly-respected character actor was a familiar face to Hammer horror audiences, appearing in epics such as The Brides of Dracula, The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb and The Plague of the Zombies .
But younger fans will remember him best on TV, as long-suffering chauffeur Thomas in Carla Lane's sitcom Butterflies and appearing alongside Jon Pertwee in Worzel Gummidge.
Ripper was acknowledged as a master of his craft, conjuring dramatic changes of appearance for each new role and thus prolonging his career.
Michael Paul Ripper was born on January 27, 1913, in Portsmouth, where his father...