Bill Oddie, 'The Goodies' Star Turned Wildlife Presenter, Dies at 85

LONDON — Bill Oddie, the British comic actor who built a second career as a bird expert and wildlife presenter, died Saturday, his agent said. He was 85.

Oddie first found fame as a member of The Goodies, a comedy trio that also included Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. The team starred in an off-beat comedy series of the same name that aired on the BBC from 1970 to 1982.

He went on to host a string of BBC wildlife programs, among them "Birding With Bill Oddie," "Bill Oddie Goes Wild" and "Springwatch."

"Bill was a multi-talented celebrity — wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist," his agent, David Foster, said in a statement. "Yet it was never fame that he valued. Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment."

Oddie was born in 1941 in Rochdale, in northwestern England, and studied English literature at Pembroke College, Cambridge. There he appeared in several productions of the Cambridge Footlights, the prestigious student sketch comedy troupe, alongside future stars including John Cleese and Graham Chapman of Monty Python.

Those student shows led to work in London's West End and on Broadway, persuading Oddie to abandon plans to become an English teacher or the warden of a bird observatory.

He later turned his birding hobby into a profession, presenting multiple wildlife programs and writing books including "Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book," "Birdwatching with Bill Oddie" and "Follow That Bird."

Oddie is survived by his wife, Laura, and daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie.