Fred Willard, much-loved star of Best in Show and This is Spinal Tap, dies aged 86

Willard, whose career was reinvigorated by his work on the mockumentaries of Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest, was a beloved and ubiquitous presence in US comedy

Fred Willard, an actor whose career was dotted with innumerable indelible cameos playing genial buffoons in unfortunate roles of authority, has died aged 86.

The news was first broken by Jamie Lee Curtis, the wife of Christopher Guest, in whose mockumentaries - including Best in Show and A Mighty Wind - Willard won a new army of fans.