Tributes have poured in for veteran British actor Frank Finlay, who died on Saturday aged 89.

He starred in The Three Musketeers in 1973 alongside Oliver Reed and Richard Chamberlain, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Oscars for his portrayal of Iago in Othello.

Finlay starred in TV series Bouquet Of Barbed Wire in 1976, which was seen as one of the most controversial dramas of the era, and he also played Casanova in a TV series in 1971.

Tributes have been paid to Finlay by stars on Twitter.

Born 1926, in Farnworth, Lancashire, Finlay left school at the age of 14 and took on several odd jobs to make ends meet.

During this time, he began appearing with amateur theatre groups and realised his future lay on the stage.

After landing his first professional role in Scotland in 1951, he won a scholarship to London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before appearing in rep in Guildford.

He did not appear in the West End until he was 31, and after making a series of acclaimed performances in various plays, he was invited to join Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company.

He starred opposite the legendary actor in Othello, and then reprised the role on the big screen in 1965, bagging an Oscar nomination in the process.