American actor Robert Vaughn, best known for his role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E has passed away.

Vaughn who was nominated for an Academy Award for his 1959 role in The Young Philadelphians died following a brief battle with cancer according to American entertainment website Deadline.

His manager, Matthew Sullivan told the website he had “passed away with his wife and family around him.”

Some of the 83-year-old's best known work includes his appearances in The Magnificent Seven, Coronation Street and Hustle.

His roles in BASEketball and as the ‘shouting audience member’ in Late Night with Conan O’Brien will be fondly remembered by comedy lovers the world over, but it was his role as Napolean Solo in The Man from U.N.C.L.E that will live longest in the memory.

The small screen’s answer to James Bond; the series ran from 1964-68 and saw Vaughn’s elegant, suave Solo share the screen with David McCallum’s blond Russian, Illya Kuryakin.

Though the series was not a huge hit, it is credited with a big contribution to the secret-agent craze of the mid to late sixties.

Vaughn is survived by his wife Linda, his son Cassidy and his daughter Caitlin.