Billie Whitelaw, famous for roles in films such as The Omen, has died aged 82, her son has confirmed.

Matthew Muller told the Guardian his mother passed away peacefully at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors in north London.

He said she had not been well for about a year, but had deteriorated rapidly over the last few months.

Billie Whitelaw famously played the demonic nannie in the film series The Omen and the mother of English gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray in the 1990 film The Krays.

She was also known for her collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, who once famously referred to her as "a perfect actress."

Her later film roles included a cameo in the 2007 police comedy Hot Fuzz.

Billie Whitelaw was awarded a CBE in 1991.

Paying tribute in the Guardian, Mr Muller said she was "an incredibly loving mother".

"I am going to miss her deeply," he said.