British stage and TV veteran Lionel Blair dies at 92

Entertainer Lionel Blair, a staple on British stage and television for decades, has died

LONDON -- Entertainer Lionel Blair, who taught himself to dance by watching Fred Astaire movies and became a staple on British stage and television for decades, has died. He was 92.

Blair’s agent said he died Thursday. No cause of death was given.

Blair was born Lionel Henry Ogus in Montreal to Russian Jewish parents. The family moved to Britain when he was a toddler and settled in London, where he and his sister Joyce performed for people sheltering in subway stations during World War II bombing raids.

He began his career as a teenage actor, but soon focused on dancing, taking the stage name Lionel Blair.