Sydney - Australian actor Charles "Bud" Tingwell, who starred in over 100 films and was a success in both the United States and Britain, has died of prostate cancer aged 86, his family said Friday.

Tingwell died in a Melbourne hospital with children Virginia and Christopher at his bedside - along with a script he had been working on.

"Right up to his death he had been in good health and still working," the statement said. "Tributes have begun flooding in from film and television industry giants from around the world eulogizing his illustrious career, his humility, his gentle and caring manner and his enormous talent."

Tingwell found work as an actor in London after serving as a pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force in Europe during World War II.

He was known for his roles in the film Breaker Morant, the Miss Marple crime films with Dame Margaret Rutherford. In television he found work on the Emergency Ward 10 television series in Britain.

In 1952, he went to Hollywood to play alongside Richard Burton in the war film The Desert Rats.

His career in Australia was revived by his acclaimed role in the comedy film The Castle.(dpa)