Frances Cuka has reportedly died at the age of 83 but her cause of death has not been confirmed. The actress was known for playing lovable grandma Nelly Buller in Channel 4 comedy Friday Night Dinner.
She died on February 16, according to an obituary published in The Guardian.
Frances is best remembered for playing the loveable and hilarious grandma Nelly and she played the mother of Tamsin Greig’s character, Jackie.
The show also stars Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal, Paul Ritter and Mark Heap.
She is also known for starring on the West End stage, but she also had recurring roles in the soap operas Crossroads and Coronation Street.
Her film roles have included Scrooge (1970) as Bob Cratchit’s wife, and Henry VIII and his Six Wives (1972) as Catherine of Aragon.
According to Metro.co.uk, Frances also was the second actress to play Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap EastEnders, when the character was first introduced in 1991.
She had filmed several scenes before she was axed and her scenes were scrapped, with Jo Warne being cast instead.
Creator of Friday Night Dinner Robert Popper, has led the way with tributes, as he wrote: “Terribly sad that our wonderful Friday Night Dinner Grandma, Frances Cuka, has passed away.”
Fans quickly flocked to Twitter to offer their condolences, as one person said: “That is so sad. Thinking of you all. So sad but she gave us so many laughs as Grandma. I’ll never forget the bikini…”
Another person commented: “Was watching the episode the other day when she was dancing with Simon Bird, so funny such a sad loss.”
While a third person added: “Sad, always remember her getting her hair caught in the car door! Classic Wilson’s 2nd Hand stew licking, I could go on, so much laughter, great actress.”
Frances also starred in Casualty as a troublesome tramp named Mrs Bassey.
She appeared in the role between 2006 and 2009, when her character was killed in an explosion.
The actress was born in London and trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
She made her stage debut at the Royal Court, Warrington as Effie in a 1955 production of Meet Mr Callaghan.
