Summary Oscar-winning British writer and actor, Colin Welland, has died at age 81.
LONDON (AFP) - British writer and actor Colin Welland, who won an Oscar for the screenplay of "Chariots of Fire", has died aged 81, his family announced Tuesday.
He had suffered from Alzheimer s disease for several years and died on Monday night, they said.
"Colin will be desperately missed by his family and friends," his family said in a statement.
"Alzheimer s is a cruel illness and there have been difficult times but in the end Colin died peacefully in his sleep.
"We are proud of Colin s many achievements during his life."
The fact-based "Chariots of Fire" revolved around two athletes at the 1924 Olympics: an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice, and a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God.
On winning the Oscar for best original screenplay at the 1982 Academy Awards, Welland warned the audience: "The British are coming!" -- a famous quotation attributed to US revolutionary war hero Paul Revere.
As an actor, Welland appeared in the popular British television police drama series "Z-Cars" in the 1960s.
He also played a schoolteacher in Ken Loach s heartwarming 1969 film "Kes", about a bullied boy who befriends a kestrel.
Welland is survived by his wife Patricia, four children and six grandchildren.
