Former Coronation Street star Paul Seed has died at the age of 78.

The actor, who also became a hugely successful director, played the role of Father Harris in the ITV soap from 1979-1981.

The character officiated the wedding of Gail Platt (Helen Worth) and Brian Tilsley (Christopher Quinten). He also led the christening of Gail and Brian’s son Nick Tilsley (eventually played by Ben Price).

Paul said goodbye to the acting world in the 1980s to become a director. He went on to help create dramas including ITV’s A Touch of Frost, Doc Martin, and BBC’s House of Cards.

During the earlier years of his directing career, he worked alongside Kenneth Branagh and Liam Neeson.

In the world of theatre, Paul appeared in productions including Love’s Labour’s Lost, Hamlet, The Birthday Party and The Merchant of Venice.

As shared in an obituary by the Guardian, Paul died on March 7 after being diagnosed with cancer. He’s survived by wife Elizabeth Cassidy and their two sons, Jack and Sean.

The obituary, by Sir Tom Courtenay, sees him pay tribute to Paul’s work.

He wrote: ‘Paul’s big breakthrough had come with House of Cards – adapted by Andrew Davies from Michael Dobbs’s novel, with Ian Richardson as the scheming politician Francis Urquhart – followed by the second part of the trilogy, To Play the King.

Tom also said: ‘He loved what he did, and this love communicated itself to his actors. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought the world of him.’

Paul was born in Devon and eventually moved to Manchester. He studied drama at the university there, and graduated in 1970.

Paul was awarded the Best Single Drama Bafta for A Rather English Marriage, and then another for Best Drama in 2010, this time for the series Just William. It aired on BBC One and starred Daniel Roche.

The star’s other acting roles included Doctor Who, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, and Pretenders.