The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of the Film Shirley Valentine, Dies at 85
The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her role 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 family after battling Parkinson's disease for several years, according to her relatives.
Collins will be best remembered for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's acclaimed motion picture, based on the acclaimed theatrical production by Willy Russell.
Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe for outstanding actress along with a BAFTA award.
'Witty Presence'
Collins' family released a statement saying: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her career. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens."
"Her memory will endure as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her charm was embedded in every single role."
They added she was their "devoted mother, our beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and her husband John Alderton's "eternal partner"
"Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they expressed, thanking her caregivers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection"
"She experienced a calmer departure. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to reflect on life in her absence"
Broadway Role
She initially performed the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in 1988. She received that year's Olivier award for outstanding actress.
The following year she returned to the character on Broadway, New York, where she earned several awards including a prestigious Tony award.
The movie adaptation was released later that year.
Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which gained her international fame globally.
Born in 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 medical attendant in the Emergency Ward 10.
She starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, portraying an imaginary performer in a London adult entertainment venue, the Windmill Theater.
After a number of stage roles, she employed her regional dialect to land a role on the show The Liver Birds.
It was through acting that she met her husband John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had three children, their sons and daughter.
The couple performed together in a number of television and film roles, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she portrayed a servant in ITV's popular series.
