Tony Booth dead: Actor and Cherie Blair's father dies aged 85
Actor and political campaigner Tony Booth, who starred in Till Death Us Do Part, has died, his family said in a statement.
Mr Booth found new fame later in his life when his daughter, Cherie Booth, married Tony Blair.
He had joined the Labour party at the age of 15 and did not hold back from criticising the Government after Mr Blair entered Downing Street in 1997.
In 1999 he railed against "androids" at Labour's Millbank HQ and a year later said his daughter's husband had stuffed the House of Lords with "Tony's Cronies".
He also risked the wrath of the Blairs in 2002 when he lifted the lid on life in Downing Street in his autobiography, What's Left?
During his National Service he discovered a talent for acting, entertaining his fellow conscripts in amateur productions.
He married Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate Gale Smith in 1952 and had daughters Lynsey and Cherie with her, before leaving her to move in with producer Julie Allen, who bore him two more girls.
He had two more daughters during his second marriage to model Pamela Smith.
In 1979, Mr Booth almost burned himself to death in a fire at his flat, remaining hospitalised for months.
He played Malcolm Wilkinson in Coronation Street from 1960-1961 and had a host of other film and TV roles during the decade.
In the 1990s he enjoyed a revival in his television career, with roles in the likes of Holby City, The Bill and Mersey Beat.
In 2004 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and also had heart problems.
Additional reporting by Press Association
