Carrie Fisher, the actress known for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the 'Star Wars' film franchise, is in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a heart attack, according to US media.

Fisher, 60, was on a flight from London headed to Los Angeles when the cardiac arrest occurred, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Medical personnel met the plane at LAX after its 11-hour flight.

Airport police told dpa that paramedics had worked to resuscitate a passenger who was then taken to hospital.

"On Dec 23, 2016, at approximately 12.15pm, Los Angeles Airport Police Officers responded to Terminal 7 regarding a call of a female victim who went into cardiac arrest on a United Airlines flight from London. Upon arrival, LAFD was performing CPR on the victim. The victim was transported to a local hospital for further medical treatment."

United Airlines said crew members had sounded the alarm when a passenger was unresponsive. The Los Angeles Times said Fischer was in a critical condition.

Fisher's agent and spokesperson did not immediately reply to requests for information.

According to website TMZ, the actress suffered a "massive heart attack." This reportedly occured towards the end of the flight, shortly before the airliner landed in Los Angeles.

Fisher starred as Princess Leia in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy (1977-1983), and reprised the role in 2015's 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'. She published her memoir, 'The Princess Diarist', in 2016.

Her original 'Star Wars' co-star Mark Hamill tweeted: "as if 2016 couldn't get any worse... sending all our love to @carrieffisher."

'Star Trek' star William Shatner tweeted: "I ask everyone to stop for a moment and send special thoughts to @carrieffisher."

Born in Beverly Hills. Fisher is the daughter of Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher.

Fisher had supporting roles in films including 'The Blues Brothers' (1980), 'When Harry met Sally' (1989) and ]Soapdish' (1991). She has also appeared on numerous television shows including 'Saturday Night Live', 'The Big Bang Theory' and '30 Rock'.

- dpa