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Oscar-winning actress Anne Bancroft has died of uterine cancer in a New York hospital, aged 73.

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Born Anna Maria Louise Italiano in New York's Bronx to Italian immigrant parents, she had recalled wanting to be an actress from an early age.

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In 1962, she won the Oscar for playing the teacher of a deaf and blind girl in The Miracle Worker, after first successfully creating the role in the Broadway play.

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Yet despite the win and four other Oscar nominations, her most famous role came in 1967 as the seductive Mrs Robinson, starring opposite Dustin Hoffman.

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In 1964, Bancroft married comedian and director Mel Brooks, recalling fondly later that he was "the right man".

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Anne Bancroft became known for her ability to assume a variety of portrayals, with her colleagues describing her as a masterful performer.