LONDON (Reuters) - British actor Richard Briers, a Shakespearean actor best known in the UK for his role in 1970s TV sit-com "The Good Life", has died at the age of 79.

The actor had spoken publicly of battling a serious lung condition for years, saying in a recent interview that "the ciggies got me" in reference to a lifetime smoking habit.

His agent said he died on Sunday at his London home.

Briers's career ranged from television, to theatre, to film and radio.

In "The Good Life", he played alongside actress Felicity Kendal as a married couple who decide to try out a life of self-sufficiency.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)