Legendary character actor Eli Wallach has died aged 98.

The veteran star's death was confirmed by his daughter, Katherine. No further details have been released.

Wallach made a name for himself in Hollywood with a string of villainous and gritty roles in classics such as The Magnificent Seven, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and The Godfather: Part Iii.

Other notable film appearances included a turn in 1956's Baby Doll, which won him a Most Promising Newcomer prize at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTAs), as well as roles in Jack Nicholson's 1990 thriller The Two Jakes and 2006 hit The Holiday, with Kate Winslet.

He worked well into his 90s and his final film was Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps alongside Michael Douglas in 2010.

Wallach won a Tony Award for his star turn in Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo on Broadway in 1951, an Emmy for his supporting turn in 1966 Tv movie The Poppy Is Also a Flower and an honorary Academy Award in 2010 in recognition of his body of work.