Casino Royale, Knots Landing star Joanna Pettet dies aged 83

Joanna Pettet, who rose to fame in the 1966 film The Group, has died. She was 83.

Pettet's death was announced on Facebook by her friend and former manager, Pam DuBois, who noted that Pettet died on the anniversary of the death of her son, Damien Zachary Cord.

"We all loved Jo," DuBois wrote. "But there was one person who loved her more. And yesterday, on the 31st anniversary of his death, Damien Zach took his mother to heaven, and there she will stay with him forever."

Cord died in 1995 from a heroin overdose.

In The Group, Pettet played Kay, who marries an abusive man. Other cast members included Candice Bergen, Jessica Walter, Joan Hackett and Shirley Knight.

The following year, Pettet starred as Mata Bond in Casino Royale, the James Bond parody that starred Peter Sellers, David Niven and Woody Allen.

Pettet went on to create a prolific TV, appearing in series Route 77, Dr Kildare, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider and Knots Landing, among others.

Born in London in 1942, Pettet moved to New York at age 16 to study acting.

She was married to actor Alex Cord from 1968 to 1989, and was romantically linked to Terrence Stamp and Alan Bates.

Pettet was also known for her proximity to the 1969 murder of actor Sharon Tate. On the afternoon of 8 August that year, Pettet and actor Barbara Lewis visited their friend Tate for lunch. Tate and four others were murdered at the home later that night.

The poolside afternoon visit was re-created in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with Rumer Willis portraying Pettet.