John Mortimer, creator of the character Rumpole of the Bailey, has died at the age of 85 after a long illness. He is shown here in a 1996 photo. (Eric Draper/Associated Press)

British author, playwright and lawyer John Mortimer, best known for his courtroom creation Rumpole of the Bailey, died Friday of a prolonged illness. He was 85.

In recent years, he had suffered from poor vision and used a wheelchair. Just before Christmas, he returned home from a stay in a London hospital but his condition deteriorated in recent weeks, his editor, Tony Lacey at Penguin Books, told The Guardian.

Mortimer began his career as a lawyer in the 1940s, and later successfully combined legal and literary careers.

In the 1960s, he acted for Penguin Books in the Lady Chatterley's Lover obscenity trial, and later successfully defended the Sex Pistols when their Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols album resulted in a lawsuit.

His first radio play was broadcast in 1957, and his prolific literary output included screen, stage and radio plays.

His legal background often fuelled his writing. His famous curmudgeonly barrister Horace Rumpole, who referred to his wife Hilda as "she who must be obeyed," was the central character of the Rumpole of the Bailey television series. Mortimer spun off the series in a number of novels and radio plays. The television series starred Leo McKern.

Knighted for service to the arts

In 1981, Mortimer adapted Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited into a phenomenally successful 11-part television series. He wrote the screenplay for the 1999 film Tea with Mussolini. He also adapted his own bestselling novel Summer's Lease for television, starring John Gielgud.

Mortimer also wrote a trilogy of political novels about the rise of an ambitious Tory MP: Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets.

He was knighted in 1998 for his service to the arts.

Until his death, Mortimer was producing one book a year. He'd recently hinted that another Rumpole book might be in the works.

He is survived by his wife Penelope, a son and two daughters, one of whom is British actress Emily Mortimer.