John Howard Davies | British TV producer, 72

John Howard Davies, 72, who grew from cherubic child actor to influential British television producer, died Monday of cancer at his home in Blewbury, England.

He is remembered by film-lovers for playing the titular orphan boy in David Lean's 1948 film of Oliver Twist. He later became a producer and director on enduring comedies including Monty Python's Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, and Mr. Bean.

Born in 1939, the son of writers Jack and Dorothy Davies, the young actor followed Oliver Twist with major roles in The Rocking Horse Winner (1949), Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951), and The Magic Box (1951). As head of comedy at BBC television between 1977 and 1982, Mr. Davies commissioned shows including Only Fools and Horses, one of the most popular British sitcoms of all time, and Yes, Minister, a classic of political satire. He later worked for Thames Television. - AP