Len Deighton, a British author known for his spy novels including “The Ipcress File,” “Funeral in Berlin” and “The Billion-Dollar Brain,” died on Sunday, the BBC reported. He was 97.

Deighton’s literary agent, Tim Bates, confirmed the author’s death to The Associated Press. No cause of death was given.

“Len was a Titan,” Bates said Tuesday. “He was not only one of the greatest spy and thriller writers of the 20th century but also one of our greatest writers in any genre.”

Deighton was born in London on Feb. 18, 1929, the BBC reported.

He began dabbling in the spy novel genre after his mother’s client -- she was a cook for wealthy families -- was apprehended by British officials in 1940, accused of being a wartime spy for the Nazis, according to the news outlet.

“It was a major factor in my decision to write a spy story at my first attempt at fiction,” Leighton later said.

His first novel, “The Ipcress File,” was published in 1962. It would be adapted into a film of the same name, starring Michael Caine in 1965.

The story involved Cold War brainwashing and the development and testing of atomic weapons, according to the BBC. But unlike James Bond novels written by Ian Fleming, Deighton’s secret agents were ordinary working-class people.

The first Bond film, “Dr. No,” sparked interest in spy movies, and Deighton’s script was sold to a publisher.

“It might have sunk without a ripple,” Deighton said, according to the BBC. “But it did very well, because the critics used me as a blunt instrument to beat Ian Fleming over the head.”

Before becoming an author, Deighton served in the Royal Air Force, the AP reported. He studied art and worked as a waiter, pastry chef and flight attendant.

Deighton followed up “The Ipcress File” with “Horse Under Water,” “Funeral in Berlin,” “Billion-Dollar Brain” and “An Expensive Place to Die,” the BBC reported.

“Funeral in Berlin” and “Billion-Dollar Brain” were both also adapted to the screen, with Caine in the starring role, according to the AP.

“Bomber,” published in 1969, was the story of a Royal Air Force raid over Germany during World War II, the BBC reported. It has been praised as one of the great anti-war novels, according to the news outlet.

Deighton published nearly 40 works during his career, including histories of World War II, the Times of London reported.

He also wrote cookery books and helped bring French cuisine to the attention of the British reading public. He also illustrated more than 200 book covers, including the first British edition of Jack Kerouac’s “On The Road” in 1958, according to the newspaper.

Deighton was also the screenwriter and producer of the 1969 film adaptation of “Oh! What a Lovely War,” the Times reported. It was a musical satire set during World War I, but he later removed his producer’s credit.

“Berlin Game,” published in 1983, was the first of 10 novels by Deighton featuring MI6 officer Bernard Samson, the AP reported. Along with “Mexico Set” and “London Match,” it was adapted into the 1988 TV series “Game, Set and Match.”

Deighton said he never considered himself a natural writer.

“The best thing about writing books, he said on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs program, “is being at a party and telling some pretty girl you write books.

“The worst thing is sitting at a typewriter and actually writing the book.”

But Deighton did concede that writing could be fun.

“When you make a book, it’s like making a hand grenade,” he recalled, according to the BBC. “It’s a dull process but when you throw it the person at the other end gets the effect.”

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