LONDON - OSCAR-winning British director and actor Richard Attenborough was in a stable condition after an accident at his home, a hospital spokesman said on Saturday.

The 85-year-old director of Gandhi was forced to pull out of a plaque-unveiling ceremony on Thursday after suffering a fall.

A spokesman for St George's Hospital in London, said: 'Richard Attenborough suffered a fall at his home and is receiving care. He is currently in a stable condition.'

Attenborough had been due to honour Brief Encounter star Celia Johnson on the centenary of her birth, but a spokesman for the event said: 'He had a fall and he wasn't able to do it.'

The 1982 epic biography of Mahatma Gandhi is Attenborough's best-known work, winning eight Oscars, including best picture and best director.

But his talents as an actor have encouraged top directors such as Steven Spielberg, who cast him in Jurassic Park, to lure him out of self-imposed retirement. -- AFP