The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of Shirley Valentine, Dies at the Age of 85
The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her performance in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the age of 85.
Her passing was peaceful in her London care home, surrounded by her loved ones after living with Parkinson's for a number of years, according to her relatives.
Collins will be best remembered for her depiction of unhappy homemaker Shirley in the director's award-winning film, based on the celebrated theatrical production by Willy Russell.
Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe Award for best actress along with a BAFTA award.
'Sparkling Personality'
Her relatives said in a statement: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her career. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens."
"She will always be remembered as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We knew all those parts of her because her magic was contained in every single role."
The statement continued she was their "devoted mother, our beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and actor John Alderton's "eternal partner"
"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was constantly supportive," they expressed, appreciating her carers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection"
"She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. We ask that you recall her at the peak of her career; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her"
Broadway Role
Collins first played the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in the UK capital in 1988. She won that year's Olivier Award for outstanding actress.
A year later she returned to the character on the New York stage, where she picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award.
The film of the same name was launched shortly after.
Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which gained her international fame worldwide.
A native of Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near Liverpool and started out her career as a educator.
Her love of the stage inspired her to pursue acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a nurse in the TV series Emergency Ward 10.
She featured in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theatre.
After a number of stage roles, she used her Liverpool accent to secure a part on The Liver Birds.
Her acting career that she met her husband John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had a family of three, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.
Alderton and Collins starred alongside each other in a number of television and film roles, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.
