The British Film Institute has paid tribute to actor Robert Hardy, who has died aged 91.

In a tweet, the BFI said: “We’re sad to hear Robert Hardy, best known for roles in the Harry Potter films & TV series All Creatures Great And Small, has died aged 91.”

Within minutes of the announcement of his death, a tweet from London’s Westminster Abbey read: “Robert Hardy read from Henry the Fifth at our 600th Anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt service in 2015. RIP.”

A moving tribute was shared by his family who remembered his love of music and history.

His children Emma, Justine and Paul said in a statement: “Dad is also remembered as a meticulous linguist, a fine artist, a lover of music and a champion of literature, as well as a highly respected historian, and a leading specialist on the longbow. He was an essential part of the team that raised the great Tudor warship The Mary Rose.

Service to Commemorate the 600th Anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt
Hardy reads from Henry V during a service at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt (Nick Ansell/PA)

“Gruff, elegant, twinkly, and always dignified, he is celebrated by all who knew him and loved him, and everyone who enjoyed his work.”

Paying tribute to his most “tremendous life” and “giant career” in the industry, his family added: “From the early start, post WWII, with the Shakespeare Memorial Company in Stratford, to his later role in the Harry Potter films as Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic – he will perhaps be most remembered for 2 iconic roles: as Siegfried Farnon in the long-running and much loved BBC series All Creatures Great & Small, and in his many and magnificently distinguished portrayals of Winston Churchill.”

They added: “We are immensely grateful to the team at Denville Hall for the tender care they gave during his last weeks.”

His college at Oxford University also tweeted: “Sad news breaking that Magdalen alumnus Robert Hardy (1944) has died at the age of 91.”

His former Oxford school, Magdalen College, added: “Sad news breaking that Magdalen alumnus Robert Hardy (1944) has died at the age of 91.”