Oscar-nominated Australian actress Diane Cilento, who was once married to Sean Connery, has died aged 78.

The star, who passed away at the Cairns Base Hospital, close by her Queensland home, rose to fame in the early 1960s opposite stars such as Charlton Heston.

She was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for her role as Molly in the 1963 movie Tom Jones.

Close friend and playwright Michael Gow paid tribute to the star, calling her “a performer to the end”.

“She kept us all hugely entertained until the day before yesterday, when she just couldn’t manage anymore and we took her to hospital.”

via BBC News