British director and actor Richard Attenborough has died aged 90 after a long illness, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) said on Sunday.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of esteemed filmmaker and former BAFTA President Lord Attenborough," the organisation wrote on Twitter.

Attenborough appeared in movies such as Brighton Rock, The Great Escape and Jurassic Park, and directed movies like Gandhi, in a career spanning six decades.

He died on Sunday (Aug. 24) lunchtime, his son told broadcaster BBC.

"His acting in "Brighton Rock" was brilliant, his directing of "Gandhi" was stunning - Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema," British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter.

Attenborough, who won eight Oscars for the film 1982 movie "Gandhi", including best film and best director, was born in Cambridge in 1923.

The brother of famous wildlife presenter David, Attenborough had three children with his wife Sheila, who he had married aged 21. He was a member of the British House of Lords with the Labour party.