The English actor passed away after a “short illness,” his family confirmed in a statement to the PA news agency.
“It is with great sadness we can confirm that the celebrated actor Jack Shepherd passed away yesterday at the age of 85,” agents Markham, Froggatt & Irwin said in a statement. “He died peacefully in hospital after a short illness. His wife and family were with him.”
“Markham, Froggatt & Irwin are very proud and honoured to have been part of Jack’s illustrious career. His passing is a sad loss to us all,” they added.
The Leeds-born TV star was best known for playing the title role in the 1990s ITV detective drama Wycliffe, based on the novels by W.J. Burley.
The series, which aired from 1993 to 1998, featured Shepherd as Wycliffe, a detective solving murders in Cornwall with his colleagues DI Doug Kersey, played by Scottish actor Jimmy Yuill, and DI Lucy Lane, portrayed by Helen Masters.
After studying in Leeds, he earned a scholarship to Newcastle University to study fine art and later moved to London to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama.
In his 20s, Shepherd became a prominent figure at London’s Royal Court theatre. His television breakthrough came in the 1970s when he played rebellious Labour MP Bill Brand in the hit series Bill Brand. His role in the series also earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in 1977.
According to IMDb, his TV roles ranged from a schoolteacher in Play for Today: Pidgeon – Hawk or Dove? (1974) to a barrister in Blind Justice (1988), as well as the Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn in the BBC docudrama Beethoven (2005) and an Auschwitz inmate in God on Trial (2008).
Shepherd was also a notable stage actor, performing at the National Theatre and directing The Two Gentlemen of Verona at Shakespeare’s Globe in 1996, which also had a Broadway run. He won multiple awards, including an Olivier Award for the original production of Glengarry Glen Ross in 1983.
He collaborated with director Bill Bryden on several theatre productions and was also a skilled saxophonist and jazz pianist.
Jack Shepherd is survived by his wife, Ann Scott, and five children: Jan, Jake, Victoria, Catherine, and Ben.