Oscar-nominated Titanic star Stuart dies aged 100

Gloria Stuart, the Hollywood actress of the 1930s who gained an Oscar nomination six decades later for her role as the spunky survivor in Titanic, has died. She was 100.

Her grandson, Benjamin Stuart Thompson, said she died in her sleep on Sunday night at her home in Los Angeles.

Elegant, intelligent and extra-ordinarily beautiful, she became a favourite of English director James Whale, appearing in his The Old Dark House, The Kiss Before The Mirror and The Invisible Man. She also appeared in two Shirley Temple films.

In 1975, after 29 years away from showbusiness, she found an agent and resumed acting occasionally. She was later selected to play the elderly Titanic survivor portrayed by Kate Winslet as a young woman.

The 1997 Titanic became the biggest modern blockbuster and both Winslet and Stuart, then 87, were nominated for Oscars.