Celebrated American character actor HAL RIDDLE has died, aged 89.

The star, who appeared in various shows throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s, died on 17 June (09) in Woodland Hills, California.

His small screen credits included TV drama The Fugitive, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, Days of Our Lives, Green Acres, The F.B.I. and Eight is Enough, among many others.

An avid collector of Hollywood memorabilia, in 2001 the star donated his collection of 1,700 items - including letters from Sir Anthony Hopkins and actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan, as well as autographed pictures from Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Bette Davis - to his alma mater, Kentucky's Murray State University.