Legendary Australian actor Charles "Bud" Tingwell has died.
The 86-year-old died in a Melbourne hospital this morning after complications from prostate cancer set in, his agent of 17 years Joanne Baker said.
"Complications set in a couple of weeks ago ... it's only been serious for a few days," Ms Baker said.
"He had been working up until his death. His last project was Bed of Roses for the ABC."
PHOTOS: Loss of an Aussie icon
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Actress Julia Blake, who worked alongside Tingwell in the 2000 romantic film Innocence and more recently in Bed of Roses, said the acting industry would be darker without his "shining light".
"I'll miss working with somebody who had that weight of theatrical experience and I'm not sure we'll ever see his kind again," Mrs Blake said.
"He expands an extraordinary era and all of his experiences, his wisdom — that's what audiences responded to.
Mrs Blake said she was "tarting up, putting mascara on and getting ready to see Bud in hospital" when she received news of his death.
"There was a scene in Innocence where my character visited him in hospital and she got quite frisky with him and I thought we could have another rehearsal as a bit of a last laugh," she said.
Production company Working Dog said Tingwell would be sorely missed.
"We have known Bud for many years, firstly as someone who we watched on television as kids and later when he worked with us on The Late Show, The Castle and The Dish," the company said.
"He was a real gentleman, always smiling, always enthusiastic and a thorough professional, whether appearing in a big budget feature or a one-off comedy sketch.
"He also took a keen interest in supporting young people making film and television.
"A spitfire pilot, movie star, director and family man — it sounds like a character from a movie, but it was actually Bud's life. He was a one-off."
Tingwell leaves behind a son and daughter, who both live in Melbourne.
He has five grand-children.
Actor and friend Jack Thompson said: "It's like a great tree has been felled in the landscape of our culture, and in particular in the landscape of our film world."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described Tingwell as "an Australian legend" while producer and director Rob Sitch said the secret to his life "was saying yes".
Tingwell, who appeared in over 100 films during his career, was awarded the Gold Logie Hall of Fame award in 1994.
He received critical acclaim for his role in television show Homicide as Inspector Reg Lawson and as feisty lawyer Lawrence Hammill in the 1997 film The Castle.
Tingwell briefly hosted the Nine Network's 20 to 1 program and appeared in the stage version of The Man From Snowy River.
The Coogee-born star recently embraced technology, setting up a blog for young actors.
"Looking back, I suppose the cinema, or the 'pictures', as we probably called it, was very, very important to us, or to me," his blog says.
"I loved the magic of what movies could do.
"I loved film and radio."
Tingwell did not initially have his sights set on stardom, joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941.
He flew reconnaissance missions during the World War II before moving back to Australia to marry his childhood sweetheart, Audrey.
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