The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of the Film Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at the Age of 85
The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her role in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old.
She died peacefully in her London residence, in the company of her loved ones after battling Parkinson's disease for several years, according to her family.
Collins will be best remembered for her depiction of unhappy homemaker Shirley in the director's award-winning motion picture, adapted from the celebrated theatrical production by playwright Willy Russell.
Her critically acclaimed performance won her the Golden Globe Award for outstanding actress along with a Bafta.
'Sparkling Personality'
Collins' family released a statement saying: "Pauline was so many things to so many people, portraying diverse characters in her career. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure on theater and film. Her distinguished work saw her portray leaders, parents, and royalty."
"She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a role that she made all her own. We knew all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them."
They added she was their "devoted mother, our wonderful grandma and great-grandmother", and her husband John Alderton's "eternal partner"
"Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they said, thanking her caregivers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection"
"She experienced a more peaceful goodbye. We ask that you recall her at the height of her powers; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to reflect on life in her absence"
Stage Success
She initially performed the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in the UK capital in 1988. She received that year's Olivier Award for outstanding actress.
A year later she returned to the character on Broadway, New York, where she earned several awards including a prestigious Tony award.
The film of the same name was launched shortly after.
Additional movie roles included the 1991 film City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which gained her international fame globally.
A native of Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near the city of Liverpool and started out her career as a educator.
Her passion for theater led her to take up acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a nurse in the TV series 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 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 married in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.
Alderton and Collins starred together in a variety of screen projects, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.
