ACTRESS Billie Whitelaw, famous for her roles on stage and screen, has died at the age of 82.

    The Coventry-born star, who was made a CBE in 1991, worked in close collaboration with playwright Samuel Beckett, who described her as a perfect actress.

    She died in the early hours of Sunday at a nursing home in London, her son Matthew Muller told the BBC.

    “I could not have asked for a more loving mum,” he said.

    “She had an incredible career — but first and foremost she was my mum — and that’s who I will miss,” he added.

    Whitelaw made her radio acting debut aged just 11.

    In 1950, she made her first stage appearance in Bradford in a performance of Pink String and Sealing Wax, before moving into films and television.

    She was well-known for her role as Mrs. Baylock in horror film “The Omen.”

    Whitelaw also played a starring role as Violet Kray in “The Krays” and more recently appeared in comedy “Hot Fuzz.”

    During her career, she won a British Academy Award for best newcomer for her role in “Hell Is a City.”

    She also won best supporting actress for her parts in “Twisted Nerve” and “Charlie Bubbles.”

    (SD-Agencies)