Lewis Collins, best known for his role as Bodie in the 1970s TV series The Professionals, has died aged 67 after a five-year struggle with cancer.

His agent said Collins died peacefully in his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday surrounded by his family, and asked for privacy during "this very sad time".

The Professionals was a major hit on ITV from 1977 to 1983 due to its action-packed plots and memorable theme tune. The show thrust Collins and co-star Martin Shaw, who played Doyle, to stardom as a crime-fighting duo.

The pair worked as agents of a fictional unit called CI5, an amalgam of MI5 and the CID, targeting major league criminals from international drug dealers to terrorists.

Shaw, appearing in a West End production of Twelve Angry Men, said: "I was very sad to hear today that Lewis has died. We spent a very tough four years together in making The Professionals, and shared in the production of what has become an icon of British television. He will be remembered as part of the childhood of so many people, and mourned by his fans. I send my love and condolences to his family, and the great many who will miss him."

Collins's other most significant role came in 1982's Who Dares Wins, when he played a member of the SAS.

Around this time, he auditioned for the role of James Bond, but his audition was reported to be "too aggressive".

Other TV appearances included Jack the Ripper (1988), Cluedo (1991-2) and The Bill (2002), but he never matched the success of The Professionals.

Born in May 1946 in Cheshire, Collins worked as a drummer in local bands and as a women's hairdresser before becoming an actor. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and toured with several theatre companies before making his West End debut.

He is survived by his wife Michelle and their three sons.