She shot to fame in the 1950s in Ice Cold in Alex, and was nominated for Bafta Awards for Woman in a Dressing Gown and No Trees in the Street.
Later, she was in TV shows like Peak Practice and EastEnders, and in 1991 played the former prime minister in ITV's Thatcher: The Final Days.
In 2006, she played the Queen Mother in The Queen opposite Dame Helen Mirren.
A statement from her children, Beatie and Ben Edney, said: "Our mother, Sylvia, died peacefully this morning.
