Honor Blackman, the actor best known for playing the Bond girl Pussy Galore, has died aged 94.

Blackman, who became a household name in the 1960s as Cathy Gale in The Avengers and had a career spanning eight decades, died of natural causes unrelated to coronavirus.

Blackman’s family called her an “adored mother and grandmother” who possessed “an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess”.

In a statement to the Guardian, they said: “It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman, aged 94. She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family. She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby.

“As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent; with an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess, along with her unique voice and a dedicated work ethic, she achieved an unparalleled iconic status in the world of film and entertainment and with absolute commitment to her craft and total professionalism in all her endeavours she contributed to some of the great films and theatre productions of our times.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale with Patrick Macnee as John Steed in the TV series The Avengers. Photograph: Allstar/ABC/Sportsphoto

As well as her parts in The Avengers and the Bond film Goldfinger, her family highlighted Blackman’s roles as the vengeful goddess Hera in Jason and the Argonauts and as Laura West in the 1990s sitcom The Upper Hand. She appeared in theatrical productions including The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and Cabaret.

In recent years, she had toured and performed in her show Honor Blackman As Herself, in which her family said she looked back over “her astonishing life, her beginnings, her family, and her rise to stardom with her usual sense of humour and perspective”.

Blackman was a voracious consumer of current affairs, they added: “Honor was an avid reader of news and politics and she particularly loved the Guardian newspaper, along with all forms of insightful unbiased reporting and intellectually enlightened broadcasting.”

Tributes poured in for Blackman, with Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli calling her a “film icon … who shall forever be remembered as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger”. They added: “She was an extraordinary talent and a beloved member of the Bond family. Our thoughts are with her family at this time.”

The film director Edgar Wright described her as the “ultimate Bond girl and original Avenger” in a tweet. The actor Joe McGann, who starred alongside her in The Upper Hand, tweeted: “What a woman she was – fiercely bright, superbly funny and a wonderful actress on screen and onstage. I loved every day of working with her and I loved and respected her with all my heart. RIP.”

Blackman, a committed activist who campaigned for the Liberal party and later became a member of the Liberal Democrats, was praised by the acting leader, Sir Ed Davey. “My condolences to her family & friends. Never forget when she came to Kingston to campaign with me - sheer grace and charm, & a great supporter for Liberals & LibDems,” he tweeted.

Former leader Tim Farron added: “You could guarantee bums on seats at any Lib Dem event Honor was at. She was charismatic, principled and kind. A very sad day, sending love to her family.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Blackman played Laura West in the ITV sitcom The Upper Hand. Photograph: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

Born in east London to a middle-class family – her father was a civil servant – Blackman credited the elocution lessons she received as a birthday gift as allowing her to progress in her acting career. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she had small roles in films and TV shows such as Titanic drama A Night to Remember (1958) and the Edgar Wallace vigilante series The Four Just Men (1959-60).

She secured her breakthrough when she was cast in 1962 as the leather-clad crimefighter Cathy Gale in the hit British show The Avengers, alongside Patrick Macnee as the bowler-hatted John Steed. Blackman had to learn judo for the role, and her tough persona allied to then daring costume choices – boots and figure-hugging catsuits – ensured she quickly assumed star status. One of its unlikely results was a hit single, Kinky Boots, recorded in 1964 with Macnee, which became a Top 10 hit in 1990.

Blackman’s proficiency in martial arts helped her land what became her signature role, that of Pussy Galore, the glamorous villain assisting in Goldfinger’s plot to rob Fort Knox. Released in 1964, Goldfinger was the third Bond film and was a global hit. However, Blackman later told the Guardian she regretted leaving The Avengers to play the part. “I walked away at the wrong moment. They were just going from black and white to colour, they were starting to get real film money.”

After her rise to mainstream fame, Blackman made noticeable appearances in such films as Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Shalako (1968) and The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970), but while she worked steadily in film, her TV work was higher profile, and included guest appearances in Columbo, Minder and Doctor Who. In 1990, she was cast in a regular role in the ITV sitcom The Upper Hand, playing the glamorous mother of the lead female character. Blackman expressed her fondness for the role, saying it “made women who had just retired and felt they’d been put on the backburner realise they had a lot of life left to live”.

She was a staunch republican, and turned down a CBE in 2002 to avoid being a “hypocrite”. More recently, she joined a campaign to demand compensation payments for pensioners who lost savings in the Equitable Life scandal.

Blackman was married and divorced twice, to Bill Sankey and Maurice Kaufmann. She adopted two children with Kaufmann, Lottie and Barnaby.