Ex-Elmo actor gets Emmy nod

Elmo actor Kevin Clash, who is taking time off from the role amid sexual abuse claims, has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Source: Supplied

SOAP The Young and the Restless earned a leading 23 Daytime Emmy nominations, including three of the four competitors for best actor, while rival General Hospital had 19 nominations.

The 40th annual Daytime Emmy awards will be held June 16 in Beverly Hills, California. Nominations were announced overnight.

Venerable children's show Sesame Street earned 17 nominations, including one for Kevin Clash, who played the Elmo character and resigned last November amid allegations that he sexually abused underage boys. Clash's lawyer has said that related lawsuits filed against Clash are without merit. Clash, who was nominated for outstanding performer in a children's series, played Elmo for 28 years and already has 23 Daytime Emmy awards.

Top actor nominees are Peter Bergman, Doug Davidson and Michael Muhney of The Young and the Restless and Jason Thompson of General Hospital.

Nominated for top actor in a daytime drama were Susan Flannery and Heather Tom of The Bold and the Beautiful; Peggy McCay of Days of Our Lives and Michelle Stafford of The Young and the Restless.

Kelly Ripa will have a chance for a repeat award with a different co-host this year. Her pairing with Regis Philbin, Live with Regis and Kelly! won best entertainment talk show last year, and they were named top talk show hosts. Her new collaboration with Michael Strahan was nominated for best entertainment talk show, competing with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Talk and The View.

Anderson Cooper, Steve Harvey, Ricki Lake, Mehmet Oz and Rachael Ray were nominated for best talk show host.

Katie Couric's new daytime program was nominated in the best informative talk show category, against two medical shows: The Doctors and The Dr. Oz Show.

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'Are You Being Served?' actor dies

Actor Frank Thornton, most famous for his role as Captain Peacock in the long running BBC comedy series 'Are You Being Served?', died in his sleep on Saturday at the age of 92. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

John Inman, Frank Thornton (centre) and Mollie Sugden in Are You Being Served? Source: Supplied

ARE You Being Served? actor Frank Thornton died in his sleep in the early hours of Saturday morning at the age of 92, his agent David Daly says.

The star was famous for his role as Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and as Truly in Last Of The Summer Wine.

"Ninety-two-year-old Frank Thornton died peacefully in his sleep on Saturday," his agent said.

"Frank was a much loved British actor who played mainly comedy roles and is perhaps best known for his role as Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and latterly as Truly in Last Of The Summer Wine.

"Frank is survived by Beryl, his wife of 67 years, daughter Jane and their three grandchildren.

"I have been Frank's agent since 1986 and he has been the most wonderful client as well as being a great friend. He will be sorely missed."

Sitcom star Thornton was the last of the original main members of the cast of Are You Being Served?. He also went on to appear in its successor series, Grace & Favour.

In more recent years he was familiar to viewers for his role as Truly in long-running Last Of The Summer Wine, alongside a roster of veteran comedy actors.

He specialised in comedy and over the years took roles in many popular TV shows including Hancock's Half-Hour, Sykes and Steptoe And Son, as well as movie spin-off Steptoe And Son Ride Again.

Thornton also appeared in a number of saucy British movie romps including No Sex Please, We're British and Up The Chastity Belt.

In 2001 he was among the cast for the Julian Fellowes-scripted period drama Gosford Park.

His last credit was in the poorly received British film Run For Your Wife, alongside Richard Briers, who died last month.

Thornton, who was born in Dulwich, had worked in insurance after leaving school but studied to become an actor with evening classes, eventually leaving his job to study full time.

He made his professional stage debut in 1940 with a production of French Without Tears in Ireland.

The moustachioed star was soon appearing on the West End stage in Shakespeare roles, as well as the 1942 production of Terence Rattigan's Flare Path.

He went on to serve in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and afterwards went into rep theatre. By 1954 he had picked up his first film credit in the crime movie Radio Cab Murder.

By the 1960s he was becoming a familiar face with roles in movies such as Carry On Screaming, but it was in the 1970s that he became a household name with the huge success of Are You Being Served?, which ran from 1972 to 1985.

Nicholas Smith, who featured alongside him in the department store sitcom, paid tribute to Thornton saying: "He was the best actor in Are You Being Served?"

Thornton continued to have stage success with a well-received run in Me And My Girl in the West End, and many touring productions.

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