McKenna founded an animal rights charity with husband Bill Travers

McKenna, whose husband and co-star Bill Travers died in 1994, said she was "deeply touched" to receive the honour.

"I have accepted it joyfully on behalf of the many colleagues with whom I work at the Born Free Foundation and all those people worldwide who strive with us to conserve wild animals and their environment, and to reduce animal suffering in all its forms," she said.

"Above all, I accept it, in retrospect, on behalf of my husband, Bill Travers. We walked the same path and still do."

Educated in South Africa and Horsham, West Sussex, McKenna trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

She began her acting career at Dundee Rep and in London's West End before expanding into film and television.

Roles in hit films The Cruel Sea and A Town Like Alice had established McKenna as a household name in the 1950s.

But her life was changed forever after she took the lead role in 1964's film adaptation of Joy Adamson's autobiography Born Free.

Wildlife classics

It told how Joy and her gamekeeper husband George, played by Travers, raised three lion cubs in the wilds of Kenya.

"The film changed our lives and helped change the world's attitude to wildlife," McKenna explained recently.

"We realised then that wild animals belonged in the wild, not imprisoned in zoos."

McKenna and Travers went on to appear in further wildlife classics An Elephant Called Slowly and Ring Of Bright Water.

I believe that by working together we can change animals' lives for good Virginia McKenna

Then in 1984, with their son Will, they founded the campaigning organisation Zoo Check which grew into the Born Free Foundation.

The Horsham-based charity focused initially on the plight of animals in zoos and circuses but now fights to protect dozens of species in their natural habitats.

"Freedom is a precious concept, and wild animals suffer physically and mentally from the lack of freedom captivity imposes," McKenna said.

"I believe that by working together we can change animals' lives for good."

Now in her 70s, McKenna has earned the respect of members of both the acting and wildlife communities.

Naturalist Ian Redmond said: "She continues to inspire, as an advocate for a more compassionate form of conservation, and an end to captive animal suffering."

Fellow actress and animal campaigner Jenny Seagrove said she was "thrilled" by McKenna's OBE.

"This is long overdue," she said.