LONDON, Oct 5 British comic actor Norman Wisdom, who gained a huge following for his slapstick film roles in his trademark cloth cap and ill-fitting jacket, has died at the age of 95.Wisdom passed away peacefully on Monday in a nursing home on the Isle of Man after suffering a series of strokes in recent months.

Tributes poured in for the star, one of Britains most popular post-World War II comedians, whom Charlie Chaplin once described as his “favourite clown”.

In a bizarre twist to his career, he became a cult figure in communist Albania where he was the only Western actor whose films were allowed to be shown during the rule of Enver Hoxha.

Wisdom was mobbed by fans when he visited Albania in 1995 after the fall of communism.

Zef Mazi, Albanias ambassador to London, said news of Norman Wisdom's death was dominating the media back home.

“He was very popular with everyone from very young people to very old people and he made us laugh at a time, in the communist period, when there were not many reasons to laugh.” Wisdom rose to stardom with a string of hits in the 1950s and 1960s, such as “Trouble in Store” and “A Stitch in Time”, which usually involved his cheery character Pitkin as an underdog battling adversity.

Wisdom also sang, danced and played musical instruments, but it was his comedy that won the hearts of millions.

“My comedy is for children from three to 93. You do need a slightly childish sense of humour and if you haven't got that, it's very sad,” he once said.—AFP