Actor who made history with TV's first gay kiss dies aged 84: Tributes are paid to Coronation Street and The Crown star James Laurenson who famously kissed Ian McKellen in 1970 BBC broadcast of Edward II

Coronation Street and The Crown legend James Laurenson has died aged 84 after a 50-year career.

He first appeared in the long-running Manchester-based soap in 1968 as the Reverend Peter Hope.

More recently he played Scottish physician and homeopath Doctor Sir John Weir in the hit Netflix series The Crown.

Laurenson also famously performed the first gay kiss with Sir Ian McKellen in an adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II in 1970,  just three years after homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK.

Coronation Street and the Crown star James Laurenson has died aged 84

Laurenson as Richard Crossdyke in The Cry alongside Sarah Lancashire

He appeared as Scottish physician and homeopath Doctor Weir in Netflix series The Crown

Pictured: He famously performed the first gay kiss with Ian McKellen in Christopher Marlowe's Edward II in 1970 - just three years after homosexuality was decriminalised

Laurenson in play After The Fall at the National Theatre, London in 1990

He is survived by second wife Cari Haysom and his son Jamie, from his previous marriage to actress Carol Macready.

Born in New Zealand, Laurenson studied at what was then Canterbury University College in Christchurch before moving to the UK. His father was also passionate about the arts as an amateur actor.

Arriving in London in the early 1960s, the actor remarked that it was difficult to find work and get scripts in the capital. 

His film debut was a supporting role in Women in Love in 1969. He went on to appear in numerous Shakespearean productions including Richard II and Hamlet.

In 1972, he landed the title role in Australian TV drama series Boney as Detective Inspector Napoleon 'Boney' Bonaparte.

Howeve the casting of the non aboriginal Kiwi in the role attracted anger but also positive reviews, with one Australian critic dubbing him 'Australia's newest TV sex symbol'.

Despite being a success in Britain, the show was not aired in America over concerns that the US audience would not believe a lawman who didn't carry a gun.

Two years later, he played the main part in The Prison, a TV film based on the novel of the same name by George Simenon.

Laurenson starred in All for Love at the Almeida Theatre in London opposite Diana Rigg

The Olivier award nominated actor first appeared in Coronation Street in 1968

James Laurenson as Harry McDonald in TV programme Crown Court

Laurenson as Professor George Amory in ITV series Endeavour - a spin off of Inspector Morse

He also starred in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal in Bath. He moved to Somerset in the 1990s

He also played the lead role of Julian Marsh in the West End production 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1984 - his only performance in a musical.

Laurenson was a regular actor at the Peter Hall Company, whose founder described him as 'a great actor' with 'Everyman quality'.

Although not himself gay, Laurenson became known in 1970 after performing the first male same-sex kiss with Ian McKellen.

His co-star remarked that the kiss was 'a bonus throughout the run'.

Paying tribute on X, one fan wrote: 'Very sad to hear that James Laurenson has died. 

'He was a wonderful actor and I count myself lucky that I saw him at the RSC a few times. He seemed like a gentle soul. His way with words was exemplary, giving feeling and resonance to pretty much any script he worked with. RIP.'

Laurenson is survived by his second wife Cari Haysom and his son Jamie

As Peter Williams in series one of BBC show Hustle, with Robert Vaughan (right)

Laurenson with Pamela Stephenson in series 2 of Space 1999 in November 1976

He starred as Pink's father in the 1982 film Pink Floyd: The Wall

Among his other credits are Midsomer Murders, Bergerac, Lovejoy, Taggart and Prime Suspect, and starring as Pink's father in the 1982 film Pink Floyd: The Wall.

He starred in the BBC version of Henry IV in The Hollow Crown as the Earl of Westmoreland, and as Professor George Amory in ITV's Endeavour.

Among his other work included radio appearances, most notably as the Squire of Altarnun in a 1991 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn. 

The actor moved to Frome, Somerset in the 1990s where he enjoyed time 'away from the spotlight' walking his dog Maisie.