Widely regarded as the inspiration for the recast of the James Bond character “M,” she was the first British spy chief to be publicly named and photographed.

LONDON -- Stella Rimington, the first female chief of Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency and later a successful thriller writer, has died, her family said Monday. She was 90. The first woman to head a U.K. intelligence agency, Rimington was the inspiration for Judi Dench’s portrayal of MI6 chief M in seven James Bond films.

Stella Rimington, the first female head of Britain’s domestic security agency, MI5, and the widely credited inspiration for Judi Dench’s M in several James Bond films, died Aug. 3. She was 90. Her family announced the death in a statement shared by her literary agency.