A VETERAN actor best known for his role in Dr Who serial Day of the Daleks has died.

Valentine Palmer, who lived in Brighton, passed away at the age of 86 following a short illness.

The actor and singer, who studied at Brighton College, played leading roles in a number of West End musicals including Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The King and I and Oliver.

Valentine also appeared in almost 100 TV series including Dr Who, Minder, The Saint, The Professionals, The Sweeney, Emmerdale, Dixon of Dock Green, Crossroads and The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

The Argus: Valentine Palmer as Sherlock Holmes in 1986Valentine Palmer as Sherlock Holmes in 1986

Born in London in 1935, Valentine grew up in in Thornborough, Buckinghamshire, and studied in Sussex.

He studied music and singing at Guildhall School of Music in London and was awarded the King George VI Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

After living in Brighton, he later moved to Malta and then Grantham, Lincolnshire, before his death.

He leaves behind five children and six grandchildren.

Valentine wrote, produced and directed a feature film called Fanny Hill, which was a commercial success. As a result, he later worked in Hollywood as a script editor and later as a screenwriting coach.

In addition, he also worked in the field of business and communication coaching as head of production for the company Motivation Video for ten years with clients like IBM and BP, and he set up his own company The Academy of Communication, which he ran for 20 years.

The Argus: Valentine Palmer Valentine Palmer

He was also commissioned to write the book for the West End musical Zelda, which was about the wife of Scott Fitzgerald.

In 2012, he was commissioned to write a biography of his great uncle Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller - the only senior officer to survive the sinking of the Titanic.

Titanic and The Strange Case of Great Uncle Bertie was published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the tragedy.

His final project was working as producer and writer for the documentary The Session Man, which was about the life and career of legendary rock pianist Nicky Hopkins. This is currently in production.