'Royale Family's 'Nana' Liz Smith breathes her last at 95

London [England], Dec. 27 (ANI): The BAFTA Award winning actress, Liz Smith, known as 'Nana' Norma Speakman, a character from BBC's popular comedy 'Royale Family,' breathed her last on Christmas Eve. A spokeswoman for her family said, 'Royle Family' star has died at the age of 95, reports the Guardian. The statement read, "The BAFTA award-winning actress Liz Smith has died, on Christmas Eve, at the age of 95, her family has announced." Her co-star Ralf Little tweeted, "Devastating to lose two members of my second family in one awful year. RIP Liz Smith. Goodbye Nana. Xxx." Film and TV actor Richard E Grant, who starred with Smith in the 1997 film 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying,' based on the George Orwell novel of the same name, tweeted, "Liz Smith-I loved working with you on the George Orwell film & privileged to have played & danced together R.I.P. X" Actor Andrew Whyment too took to his Twitter to write, "What a fantastic actress she was absolutely hilarious RIP lovely Liz x" The Lincolnshire-born, mother-of-two, real name Betty Gleadle, starred in the sitcom for its three series from 1998 to 2000 and again in the 2006 special 'The Queen of Sheba,' which told the story of her character's death. Some of her other famous roles included as dopey Letitia Cropley in village comedy 'The Vicar of Dibley,' fronted by Dawn French, as Annie Brandon in 'I Didn't Know You Cared,' as Bette and Aunt Bell in '2point4 Children,' and as Zillah in 'Lark Rise to Candleford.' She appeared alongside Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the 2005 film 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory,' playing the role of Grandma Georgina, and also appeared on stage in the 'West End playing Nell' in a production of Samuel Beckett's 'Endgame.' Smith's death comes in the same year as her co-star Caroline Aherne, who died from lung cancer. (ANI)