Read more: Ben Affleck superb in Boston Irish drama 'The Town' now a likely Oscar contender

Oscar nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite has died in hospital following a lengthily battle with cancer. The actor who was called “the best actor in the world” by Steven Spielberg had continued to work despite receiving treatment for cancer.

Recently Postlethwaite had worked on movies including “Clash of the Titans”, “ “Inception” and Ben Affleck’s Boston-based Irish gangster movie “The Town”.

Most famously he played the role of Giuseppe Conlon in “In the Name of the Father”. He played the father of Gerry Conlon on of the innocent Guildford Four. Giuseppe was wrongly imprisoned and died in prison. He starred alongside Emma Thompson and Daniel Day Lewis.

He worked alongside Steven Spielberg on projects such as “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Amistad”. When Spielberg called him “the best actor in the world” he replied “I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, 'the thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world'.”

Read more: Ben Affleck superb in Boston Irish drama 'The Town' now a likely Oscar contender