Upstairs, Downstairs star Nicola Pagett has died at the age of 75.
The actress is said to have 'died suddenly' on March 3 of complications from a brain tumour.
A friend of Nicola's told The Guardian she had dealt 'stoically' with her illness.
Nicola was best known for playing Elizabeth Bellamy, the spoilt daughter of Richard and Lady Marjorie in 1970s series Upstairs, Downstairs.
Her other small screen work included playing Elizabeth Fanschawe in the 1973 telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story and as the star of the 10-episode 1977 miniseries Anna Karenina.
Nicola also starred alongside David Jason in comedy drama A bit Of A Do in 1989.
On the big screen Nicola appeared in films such as Operation: Daybreak, Privates on Parade and An Awfully Big Adverntures.
Nicola was also a regular on the West End stage starring in a number of Pinter plays including a revival of Old Times in 1985.
The star born in Cairo in 1945 where her father was an oil executive and she spent much of her childhood jet-setting around Hong Kong, Cyprus and Japan.
At the age of 17 she returned to Britain and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where she studied for two years.
Nicola released an autobiography in 1997, Diamond Behind My Ears, where she opened up about her battle with manic depression.
Fans will best know the actress as Elizabeth in the first two series of ITV Upstairs, Downstairs.
During the second season, Elizabeth embarked on a loveless marriage to poet Lawrence Kirbridge, played by Ian Ogilvy, before having an affair.
Elizabeth then left for America, which had been Nicola's idea because she 'didn't want to be known for only one thing.'
Speaking about the success of the show in 2002, Nicola said: "There weren't any stars really - that was the beauty of it.
"Everyone had an equal importance in the thing. The product was more important than the people in it in those days. So, if it was a success, it was a success because everyone in it was good rather than because the actor in it was well known."
Nicola is survived by daughter Eve and sister Angela.
