Steve Carell has led tributes to veteran comedian Fred Willard following his death at the age of 86 last week.

In a career spanning back to the 1950s, Willard had notable parts in shows such as Modern Family, Roseanne, Everybody Loves Raymond and This Is Spinal Tap.

For what turned out to be his final project, the comedian had a recurring role opposite Carell in the new Netflix comedy Space Force, which will be released next week.

"I think he very quietly influenced a whole generation of improvisors and comedic actors, and just comedy in general," Carell told The Late Show. "He had a mind that you couldn't quite pinpoint because he would get too deep into character.

"He never indicated at all that anything he was doing was funny, and I think that is what made it ten times funnier. He'd improvise a lot of stuff and, after one take, the crew put down their equipment and gave him a standing ovation."

Space Force is from the team behind The Office and stars Carell as America's first "Chief of Space Operations".