Ananova:

The ashes of British actor James Mason have been laid to rest, 16 years after his death.

A legal row, after the star's death, led to his children having to trace his ashes through lawyers before they could be released for burial, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Mason, who was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was laid to rest in a Swiss cemetery, near to his former home in Corseaux.

The ceremony was attended by his daughter Portland, 52, son Morgan, 45, grandson James, other members of his family, and the British ambassador Christopher Hulse.

His family challenged his will, which left everything to his second wife Clarissa Kaye, and the two sides became caught in a legal battle.

The dispute continued after her death six years ago and at one point it became so bitter that his children did not know where his ashes were stored.

They claim they were forced to trace them to a bank vault in Geneva and then go to court over the choice of wording on Mason's tombstone, which now simply reads: "James Neville Mason 1909 - 1984".

Mason's daughter Portland said being able to lay her father to rest was "like a dream".

The family is continuing to dispute the will, the newspaper said.

Mason's film career spanned 50 years and included Lolita, A Star Is Born and North by Northwest. He was 75 when he died from a heart attack.