LONDON (AP) — Tim Pigott-Smith, a veteran British actor who recently played Prince Charles on stage and screen, has died at the age of 70.

The actor's agent, John Grant, says Pigott-Smith died Friday. Grant called him "one of the great actors of his generation ... a gentleman and a true friend."

Pigott-Smith came to global attention as a sadistic police officer in British-controlled India in the 1980s miniseries "The Jewel in the Crown."

The show became a global sensation, and Pigott-Smith said it "changed my life."

He recently won Olivier and Tony award nominations for the play "King Charles III," which imagines disastrous events after the current heir to the British throne becomes king. He reprised the role for a TV adaptation.

Pigott-Smith is survived by his wife and son.