Richard O’Sullivan, known for his role as Robin Tripp in the 1970s TV sitcoms Man About the House and Robin’s Nest, has died aged 82.

The actor, who was also famous for playing the title character in the TV series Dick Turpin, died peacefully with his family at his side at the Royal Variety Charity’s care home on Friday, the organisation said.

His son James O’Sullivan paid tribute to him, saying: “My dad was as funny and charming in real life as he appeared on our TV screens over the years. Always kind-spirited, good-humoured, a doting grandfather and a wonderful dad – I will miss him dearly.

“Although much of his career happened before I was born, I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy and witness his incredible talents on the countless reruns of his shows that made him the respected and loved actor that he was.”

O’Sullivan in the garden of Brinsworth House care home in 2021. Photograph: Andy Newbold/Royal Variety Charity/PA

O’Sullivan had lived at the Royal Variety Charity’s Brinsworth House in Twickenham for 23 years. His son thanked the “incredible team” there for their “love, kindness and care”. He said: “They have been truly amazing and will always hold a special place in my heart.”

O’Sullivan’s career began when he appeared in The Yellow Balloon as an eight-year-old in 1953. He later appeared in Peter Hall’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Royal Shakespeare theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1956.

He appeared in two films with Cliff Richard in the 1960s: The Young Ones in 1961 and Wonderful Life in 1964. In 1963, he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Cleopatra in the role of Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII.

Richard O’Sullivan as Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII in Cleopatra (1963). Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Allstar

Man About the House ran for six series from 1973, following the trials and tribulations of a man sharing a London flat with two single women, Chrissy, played by Paula Wilcox, and Sally Thomsett as Jo.

Giles Cooper, the life president of the Royal Variety Charity, said: “Richard O’Sullivan was a master of effortless charm and impeccable comic timing, bringing pure warmth, wit, and unforgettable joy to millions of living rooms as a true giant of British television. He will be sorely missed by us all at the Royal Variety Charity.”