FRANK KELLY, 77

Irish actor played ‘Father Ted'

Irish actor Frank Kelly, best known for playing a foul-mouthed priest with a fondness for the catchphrase “Feck! Drink! Girls!” in the series “Father Ted,” died Sunday. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Despite being a gracious, posh-accented veteran of the Dublin stage, Mr. Kelly's irreverent portrayal of Father Jack Hackett lived on long past the show's run in 1995-1998. The public embraced the chance to watch the gentle parody of the Roman Catholic Church and his irreverent character.

“Frank was an all-around talent, an institution in Irish entertainment, a very determined professional. And he'll be greatly missed by all who knew him,” said Ardal O'Hanlon, who played a younger priest, Father Dougal McGuire, in the show.

Mr. Kelly got his big break with a role escorting Michael Caine's character out of prison in an uncredited role in “The Italian Job,” in 1969. He later appeared in “Hall's Pictorial Weekly,” a 1970s political satire, the drama series “Glenroe,” and the soap opera “Emmerdale.”

—?Associated Press