British actress Susannah York, who played baby Kal-El's mother Lara in 1978's "Superman: The Movie" and was nominated for an Oscar for the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", has died at the age of 72.

Her son, actor Orlando Wells, described her as "an absolutely fantastic mother, who was very down to earth".

"She loved nothing more than cooking a good Sunday roast and sitting around a fire of a winter's evening. In some senses, she was quite a home girl. Both Sasha [his sister] and I feel incredibly lucky to have her as a mother," he said.

"She had advanced bone marrow cancer which she had an operation for. But, last Thursday, she had a scan and then the descent was fast. In the end, her death was painless and quick."

York acted on the stage, on television and in films, and was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in "They Shoot Horses", the tale of a disparate group of characters taking part in a dance marathon.

She also starred in the multi-Oscar-winning story of Thomas More, "A Man for All Seasons".

In a 2008 interview, York spoke about the utmost importance of family to her life. "Seeing the family is a very important part of my weekend. I see a lot of my daughter Sasha and my son Orlando," she said.

"We all live quite close to each other on different sides of Clapham Common in south London. My grandson, Rafferty, is absolutely lovely. He's a year old and there's another child on the way."

She is survived by her two children, as well as a grandson and a granddaughter.