The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at 85
The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her role in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old.
Her passing was peaceful in her London residence, surrounded by her loved ones after living with Parkinson's for a number of years, according to her relatives.
Her legacy will be defined for her portrayal of unhappy homemaker Shirley in the director's award-winning motion picture, adapted from the celebrated stage play by Willy Russell.
Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe Award for best 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 distinguished work 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 were familiar with all those aspects of her personality because her charm was embedded in every single role."
They added she was their "devoted mother, our beloved grandmother and great-grandma", and actor John Alderton's "life-long love"
"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us," they said, thanking her carers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection"
"She experienced a calmer departure. We hope you will remember her at the peak of her career; 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 best actress.
A year later she reprised the role on Broadway, New York, where she picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award.
The movie adaptation was launched shortly after.
Additional movie roles included 1991's City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which gained her international fame globally.
A native of Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool and began her professional life as a educator.
Her passion for theater led her to take up acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a medical attendant in the TV series 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 used her Liverpool accent to land a role on the show The Liver Birds.
Her acting career that she met her husband John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.
Alderton and Collins starred together in a number of television and film roles, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she portrayed a servant in the acclaimed ITV program.
