Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs dies aged 86

(AAP)
(AAP)

Andrew Sachs, who played bumbling waiter Manuel in the comedy series Fawlty Towers, has died.

The German-born British actor was asked to do the role by John Cleese.

"I said, 'Can I do it as a German waiter, my first language is German', he said, 'I don't think so'," Sachs said in an old interview.

"The idea that you could have constant misunderstandings was a terribly simple one but it worked well," Cleese said.

He may have been Manuel, but Sachs spent most of his career in radio.

He recently hit the headlines when comedians Russel Brand and Jonathan Ross were fired for a phone prank about the actor's granddaughter.

But he preferred being anonymous.

"Manuel became dreadfully famous all over the world, but not Andrew Sachs, he was not beside all that and I like that," Sachs said.

Still that role has brought a touching tribute from Cleese, who said he could never have found a better actor for Manuel.

Sachs lost his battle with dementia age 86, but he will forever fondly be remembered as Manuel from Barcelona.

Newshub.