David Kelly, actor

David Kelly, an Irish character actor who played Grandpa Joe in Tim Burton’s version of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and motorcycled naked in “Waking Ned Devine,” died Feb. 12 in Dublin. He was 82.

The family confirmed the death but did not disclose the cause.

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In an acting career on stage, film, TV and radio that spanned a half-century, Mr. Kelly was best known in Ireland for his 1980 depiction of doomed tenement dweller Rashers Tierney in the historical miniseries “Strumpet City” and for his large body of work as a Dublin stage actor in the 1950s and 1960s.

British and Irish TV viewers also could recognize his face and bony frame from short, usually comedic, turns on myriad soaps and sitcoms, most memorably as a work-dodging Irish builder opposite John Cleese in a 1975 episode of “Fawlty Towers.” He also played a dim-witted, one-armed dishwasher in the late 1970s British sitcom “Robin’s Nest.”

Usually consigned to bit parts in film, Mr. Kelly’s two most prominent roles came late in life.

In “Waking Ned Devine” (1998), he portrayed an Irish villager who must impersonate the late Devine to collect a huge lottery win — and finds himself hurtling down a muddy road, naked apart from his motorcycle helmet, socks and shoes, to keep the ruse intact.

Mr. Kelly often joked that his career took off in his 70s once casting agents finally knew about his sexy body.

In 2005 he played Charlie Bucket’s grandfatherly escort in Burton’s adaptation of the fantasy world of Willy Wonka. That year he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Film & Television Academy.

Survivors include his wife, actress Laurie Morton, and their two children.