Maureen Stapleton dead

LOS ANGELES (Reuters): Oscar- and Tony-winning character actress Maureen Stapleton, famed for her stage roles in Tennessee Williams' plays and in such films as ''Reds'' and ''Cocoon'' died today at her home in Lenox, Massachusetts.She was 80 and died of natural causes, said Ned Roche, head of the Roche Funeral Home in Lenox. He said the actress's daughter and son were with her when she died.

Stapleton, known for realistic, salty portrayals in a career spanning five decades, won a Tony for her first starring Broadway role as the blowsy Serafina delle Rose in the 1951 production of Williams ''The Rose Tattoo'' and an Oscar for playing anarchist Emma Goldman in the Warren Beatty's 1981 film ''Reds".