Actor David Nicholls who had parts in blockbuster films including Gladiator and Gangs of New York has died of asbestos-linked mesothelioma cancer contracted as a teenager.
David Nicholls also had parts in a range of TV productions including Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Waiting for God and The Commander.

His stage presence was all the more distinctive thanks to his 6ft 5in height.

Mr Nicholls, who was 58, lived in the UK with his partner Julie Connor and three sons, Jai, James and Sam.

Originally from Tipton in the Black Country, he left school at 15 and became a factory worker. There he had contact with asbestos lagging used to insulate pipes.

He left the factory and joined the Army by saying he was older than he was. After leaving the Army he became a police officer, working in West and North Yorkshire – he had come to Leeds in the mid-1980s.

He left the police to pursue his acting career.

More than 40 years after his teenage contact with asbestos he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the lining of the lung caused by the deadly mineral. Death usually occurs within 12 to 18 months of diagnosis. Mr Nicholls was diagnosed in May last year and died on June 23.

During the last months of his life he campaigned to raise funds for research into the disease, and awareness about the dangers of asbestos.
Mr Nicholls' funeral service at Rawdon Crematorium was packed to capacity and raised hundreds of pounds for the Ridings Asbestos Support Group and Wheatfields Hospice.

He is survived by Julie, Jai, James and Sam, and Mr Nicholls' 92-year-old mother.