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Celebrated British actress Susannah York died yesterday from cancer at 72.

The blonde, blue-eyed English rose, who epitomised the swinging 60s, suffered from advanced bone marrow cancer.

She began her illustrious film career in 1960 when she appeared in Tunes of Glory alongside Alec Guinness and John Mills, which won her critical acclaim.

One of Britain's best-loved actresses, she was nominated for an Oscar in 1969 for her role in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? She appeared in dozens of classic films and on stage in a career spanning half a century.

Last night her son, the actor Orlando Wells, said: "She was an absolutely fantastic mother, who was very down-to-earth.

"She loved nothing more than cooking a good Sunday roast and sitting around a fire of a winter's evening. In some sense, she was quite a home girl. Both Sasha [Orlando's sister] and I feel incredibly lucky to have her as a mother.'' Orlando said his mother was "a most extraordinary actress" and described her as "a woman with grace and stature".

He added: "She had advanced bone marrow cancer which she had an operation for. But, last Thursday, she had a scan and then the descent was fast. In the end, her death was painless and quick.'' Tom Stoppard, the playwright and screenwriter, said: "I remember back in 1961 when I was a young journalist, I interviewed her for a magazine for her film The Greengage Summer, and I still remember how completely charmed I was.

"She was so pleasant to me - she let me interview her at home as long as I promised not to write that because journalists weren't normally allowed to go to her home. I still think of her with great affection."

York was born Susannah Yolande Fletcher in London in January 1939 - though she always claimed she was born in 1942.

Her father was a merchant banker and her mother the daughter of a diplomat but they divorced when she was five. After that she saw her father only a handful of times.

During her school years in Scotland it became clear she was going to be a rebel and was expelled at 13 for swimming naked in the pool at midnight. She remarked: "My biggest mistake was my sense of fair play. I wasn't even caught in the pool, but owned up anyway."

At RADA she won rapturous reviews for her first big film, Tunes of Glory, playing Alec Guinness's daughter.

In the same year, 1960, she caused a scandal when she wed Michael Wells, who was married when they met.

He was father of her two children Orlando and Sasha but her career eclipsed his and they divorced bitterly in 1976. From then on she became a devoted single mother.

In an interview she said: "Seeing the family is a very important part of my weekend. We all live quite close to each other. My grandson, Rafferty, is absolutely lovely."

She starred in Battle of Britain and A Man For All Seasons, but was best known for her role in 1963 film Tom Jones with Albert Finney and her part as Superman's mum in the films. She famously snubbed the Motion Picture Academy in 1969 by saying it offended her to be nominated for an Oscar without being asked.

Her roles dwindled in the 80s and she was forced to sell cherished paintings and jewellery to pay her mortgage. But she appeared briefly in TV's Holby City and Casualty in 2003.

Although she supported many causes, including CND, her children said she was first and foremost a devoted mother.

Shaun of the Dead actor Simon Pegg, 40, said on Twitter last night: "So sad to hear Susannah York has died. A very early crush after The Killing of Sister George and of course Superman's mum."