 Image copyright AP Image caption Lord Attenborough, seen here in 2008, was among Britain's best-known actors 
 
 Oscar-winning British film director Richard Attenborough has died at the age of 90, his son has said. Lord Attenborough's son Michael confirmed that he died at lunchtime yesterday, just five days away from his 91st birthday. Lord Attenborough was one of Britain's leading actors, before becoming a highly successful director. In a career that spanned six decades, he appeared in films including Brighton Rock, World War Two prisoner of war thriller The Great Escape and later in dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park. 'Huge impact' 
 
 Paying tribute, Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "His acting in "Brighton Rock" was brilliant, his directing of "Gandhi" was stunning - Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema." Sir Ben Kingsley, 70, who won a coveted best actor Oscar for playing Gandhi, said: ‘He placed in me an absolute trust and in turn I placed an absolute trust in him and grew to love him. He was appointed a CBE in 1967 and knighted nine years later in 1976, before being made a life peer in 1993. They married in 1945 and went on to have three children together: a son Michael, who became a theatre director, Jane and Charlotte, 54, an actress. His family faced tragedy in 2004 when his elder daughter Jane Holland, her daughter, Lucy, and her mother-in-law, also named Jane, were killed in the south Asian tsunami on Boxing Day. Lord Attenborough won eight Oscars, including best picture and best director, for his 1982 epic Ghandi 
 
 The director, pictured in 1982 with actor Ben Kingsley, with the nine academy awards that he won for Gandhi 
 
 Lord Attenborough, who served with the Royal Air Force before embarking on his film career, pictured holding two of his Oscars for best film and best director for Gandhi 
 
 He made his directorial debut with 1969 musical Oh! He and Miss Sim, who married in 1945, co-starred in the original West End production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap in 1952. His son Michael was born in 1949, followed by two daughters, Jane and Charlotte. Tribute was paid to the Labour peer from his party. He did so so much in so many arenas.’ 
 
 Former tennis star Boris Becker said he was 'a true legend' while Little Britain star David Walliams wrote: ‘Richard Attenborough as Pinkie in Brighton Rock from 1947. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jurassic Park actress Ariana Richards tells 5 live: 'He was a light in my life' 
 
 Actress Mia Farrow tweeted: "Richard Attenborough was the kindest man I have ever had the privilege of working with. A Prince. RIP “Pa” – and thank you.’ 
 
 Comedian and actor Ricky Gervais tweeted: ‘RIP Richard Attenborough. One of the true greats of the silver screen.’ 
 
 'Dickie Attenborough was passionate about everything in his life - family, friends, country and career,' said Steven Spielberg, director of Jurassic Park. Image copyright PA Image caption Steven Spielberg (l) directed Lord Attenborough in 1993's Jurassic Park 
 
 "He made a gift to the world with his emotional epic Gandhi and he was the perfect ringmaster to bring the dinosaurs back to life as John Hammond in Jurassic Park," he said. He was a dear friend and I am standing in an endless line of those who completely adored him Steven Spielberg 
 
 Sir Ben Kingsley, who played the title role, said he would "miss him dearly". "He was a man of huge warmth and integrity but always a man with a cause, I think somebody who really understood that film was such a powerful tool that could be used to influence and capture hearts and change the world," she said. 'She comes in laughing or excited or determined, but always full of commitment. On his regrets of putting work ahead of family on occasions: 'I adore my family, they are my joy.
– Oscar-winning actor and director Richard Attenborough died today in a London nursing home at the age of 90, his son tells the BBC. Attenborough amassed 74 acting credits over 60 years, starring in acclaimed films like Brighton Rock, The Great Escape, and Miracle on 34th Street, and later the Steven Spielberg blockbuster Jurassic Park, the Daily Mail reports. He also took home the Best Director Oscar for Gandhi, which won eight Academy Awards including Best Film. Confined to a wheelchair for years, Attenborough's health declined in 2013 after a stroke put him in a temporary coma, the Guardian reports. Born in England, Attenborough began acting at age 12, debuted professionally at 18, and was knighted in 1976.