Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of the Film Shirley Valentine, Dies at 85
The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the movie Shirley Valentine, has died at the eighty-five years old.
She died peacefully in her London residence, in the company of her family after living with Parkinson's for several years, as stated by her family.
Her legacy will be defined for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's acclaimed motion picture, based on the acclaimed stage play by playwright Willy Russell.
Her critically acclaimed performance won her the Golden Globe Award for outstanding actress along with a BAFTA award.
'Charming and Witty'
Collins' family said in a statement: "Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure on theater and film. 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 role that she made all her own. We knew all those parts of her because her magic was contained in every single role."
They added she was their "devoted mother, our beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and her husband John Alderton's "life-long love"
"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was constantly supportive," they expressed, thanking her caregivers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection"
"She could not have had a calmer departure. 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"
Stage Success
Collins first played the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in London in 1988. She received that year's Olivier Award for best actress.
The following year she reprised the role on the New York stage, where she earned several awards including a esteemed Tony Award.
The movie adaptation was launched shortly after.
Additional movie roles included 1991's City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition worldwide.
Born in Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool and began her professional life as a teacher.
Her passion for theater inspired her to pursue acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a medical attendant in the Emergency Ward 10.
She starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London adult entertainment venue, the Windmill Theater.
Following several theater parts, 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, their sons and daughter.
The couple performed alongside each other in a number of television and film roles, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she portrayed a servant in ITV's popular series.
