New Zealand actor, designer, teacher and artist Grant Tilly has passed away, aged 74.

Tilly had a varied and a long-running career, with 30 years in theatre including a run of classic Kiwi plays, as well as roles in film and television.

Wellington's Circa Theatre, which he helped found, said on Twitter:  "It is with extreme sadness that we note the death of Grant Tilly. Grant was a founding member of the Circa Council and one of the country's most talented and best known actors. He made a great contribution to the theatre scene in New Zealand. He will be sorely missed. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends."

Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright said Tilly made a significant contribution to all facets of New Zealand theatre.

“His involvement in Unity Theatre, in the early days of Downstage and as a founding member of Circa has helped build a strong and dynamic theatre scene. Grant’s teaching at the New Zealand Drama School (now Toi Whakaari) helped many New Zealand actor’s learn and develop their craft. He also worked as an artist creating amazing works that will be part of an enduring legacy.

“On behalf of all of Creative New Zealand’s staff and members of the Arts Council, Arts Board and Te Waka Toi and the Pacific Arts Committee, I wish to express our condolences to Grant’s family and his many friends.”

Tilly's acting career included performances in a run of acclaimed New Zealand plays, including Foreskin's Lament, The Daylight Atheist, and Joyful and Triumphant. His screen career also hardly lacked for variety: he played pedantic bureaucrats (Gliding On), cow-cockies (Carry Me Back), missionaries (The Governor), villainous German officers (Savage Islands) and legendary Kiwi artists (Erua). – NZ On Screen Biography 

In this 2010 ScreenTalk interview (below), Tilly talks about how his career as an actor, stage designer, and co-founder of Wellington’s Circa Theatre has intersected with the works of writer Roger Hall – including his acclaimed performance as a philandering headmaster in Middle Age Spread.