British actor Tom Hardy has paid tribute to his “lovely friend”, cinematographer Dick Pope, following his death aged 77.

Announcing news of his death, the British Society Of Cinematographers said in a statment that Pope “was an extraordinary cinematographer whose work on documentaries, television and films was of the highest level.”

It added: “We pay tribute to our wonderful friend and colleague and our thoughts go out to his family especially his wife Pat at this difficult time.”

Venom fan screening – London
Tom Hardy has paid tribute to the late cinematographer Dick Pope (PA)

Venom actor Hardy, 47, posted two photos of Pope to Instagram, captioned: “Dick Pope. British cinematographer, lovely friend and all-round legend. Aug 1947 – October 2024.”

Bafta said in a post to X, formerly Twitter: “We’re saddened to hear of the passing of cinematographer Dick Pope.

“Renowned for his long-standing collaboration with Mike Leigh, Pope was nominated for two BAFTAs for his work on Porterhouse Blue in 1988 and Mr Turner in 2015.”

Pope was born in Bromley, Kent in 1947 and worked in the field of documentary before moving to TV, earning a Bafta TV Craft nomination in 1988 for his work on Porterhouse Blue, a drama starring Sir David Jason and Ian Richardson.

He also worked on 2004 film Vera Drake, with Dame Imelda Staunton, 2008 comedy Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging, and biographical 2014 drama Mr Turner, starring Timothy Spall, which saw Pope nominated for a cinematography Bafta award.

He also worked on 2015 film Legend about notorious London gangsters and identical twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray, who were played by Hardy.

Pope would guest tutor at schools such as the National Film And Television School (NFTS) and recently worked on the film Hard Truths which was shown at the BFI London Film Festival earlier in the month.