Actor in Classic Sitcoms Dead at 90: RIP to Derry Power

Classic TV actor Derry Power has died.

According to his obituary, Power passed away on Friday, surrounded by his family at the Fern Dean Nursing Home in Dublin, Ireland. He was 90.

He was born on March 29, 1935, in Cork, Ireland, and has had a prolific filmography, ranging from many genres and across the big and small screens. He made his acting debut in 1959, appearing in the films Home Is the Hero and This Other Eden. Throughout the early ‘60s, he also appeared in The Quare Fellow, Maigret, Festival, Never Put It in Writing, and Love Story, before ultimately landing a role in the ITV sitcom The Larkins.

Created by Fred Robinson, the series starred David Kossoff, Peggy Mount, Shaun O’Riordan, Ruth Trouncer, Ronan O’Casey, and Barbara Mitchell. The series premiered in 1958 and ran for six seasons. Power joined the show in its fifth season as Paddy, appearing in 10 episodes across the final two seasons. After the series ended, Power’s career remained steady, as he appeared in projects such as Young Cassidy, Cars, Ulysses, Escape, Lock Up Your Daughters!, Tales from the Lacy Acre, Saturday Night Theatre, and Warlords of the Deep.

In 1977, Power added another classic sitcom to his resume when he got a gig as Seamus Finnegan on two episodes of the BBC1 series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. He appeared in an episode of Season 2 and an episode of Season 3, appearing alongside stars Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, Sally-Jane Spencer, Tim Preece, Leslie Schofield, Sue Nicholls, John Barron, Trevor Adams, and Bruce Bould, among others.

He did not stop there. Power’s filmography continues through the 2000s, nabbing roles in Murphy’s Stroke, Educating Rita, Rawhead Rex, Remington Steele, Bulman, My Left Foot, Into the West, Screen Two, Frankie Starlight, Kidnapped, The Disappearance of Finbar, Ballykissangel, Fergus’s Wedding, and The Tiger’s Tale. Power’s final role was in 2014 in an episode of the History Channel series Vikings.

Derry Power is deeply missed by his sister, Liz, his brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, neighbors, and a “wide circle of friends.” He also had two children, Michelle and David. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Foundation, which provides essential items such as food, clothing, housing, and other necessities to those in need.