British theatre and film actor Sir Donald Sinden has died in his home aged 90, his family has announced.

The famous actor had developed prostate cancer a few years ago and his death has been described as a huge loss by his family.

Sinden trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and made his name in theatre as a Shakespearean actor. He received his Knighthood from the Queen of England in 1997 for his services to drama.

His son, actor and film director Marc Sinden, said in a statement: “My father has finished dying. He suffered for a few years from prostate cancer which slowly spread. Even though his death was expected, it is still a huge loss to his family.”

According to Marc Sinden, it had been an ambition of his father to get as many of his wonderful theatrical memories and anecdotes down on film to share with people who may have never heard his extraordinary tales of a hugely long career.

“Not many knew, for instance, that he was the last person living to have known Oscar Wilde’s lover Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie) and was one of only two people to attend his funeral,” Marc Sinden noted in his statement.