Pete Postlethwaite has died at 64

Oscar-nominated star Pete Postlethwaite, one of Britain's best-loved actors, has died at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer, a spokesman has announced.

The English stage, film and television actor, who was a renowned performer best remembered for his memorable roles in Brassed Off and The Usual Suspects, died peacefully in hospital in Shropshire on Sunday (January 2nd).

A star of films such as Alien 3, Amistad, The Shipping News, The Constant Gardener and Inception, Postlethwaite secured an Academy Award nomination for his role in In the Name of the Father in 1993.

He worked with big directors including Steven Spielberg, who once described him as "the greatest actor in the world" after their collaboration on the The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Tributes have been pouring in since the actor's death, with Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, who worked with Postlethwaite on The Usual Suspects, saying that "no-one was like Pete".

He is survived by his wife Jacqueline Morrish and two children.