Esther Scott death: Boyz n the Hood and Hart of Dixie actor dies aged 66

Scott’s credits include the ‘Ewoks’ TV series, ‘ER’, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ and ‘The Birth of a Nation’

Esther Scott at the premiere of 'The Birth Of A Nation' on 25 January 2016 in Park City, Utah. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

Esther Scott, who starred in Boyz n the Hood and Hart of Dixie among many other films and programmes, has died aged 66.

Scott suffered a heart attack on Tuesday while at her home in Santa Monica, California, her representative told Variety.

In the 1991 Boyz n the Hood, Scott portrayed Tisha's grandmother.

Her earlier credits included a voice role in the animated TV series Ewoks in 1986.

Scott went on to appear as a guest star in beloved programmes such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Full House, Melrose Place, The King of Queens, Sister, Sister, 7th Heaven, and ER.

She's credited as Aunt Ethel in the 2006 Dreamgirls, starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Danny Glover, and made several appearances in Hart of Dixie, with Rachel Bilson and Jaime King, between 2011 and 2015.

In recent years, Scott appeared in the 2016 The Birth of a Nation, a period drama inspired by the slave rebellion led in 1831 by Nat Turner in Virginia.