Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of the Film Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at Eighty-Five Years Old
Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the age of 85.
She died peacefully in her London care home, surrounded by her loved ones after living with Parkinson's disease 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 acclaimed motion picture, adapted from the acclaimed theatrical production by Willy Russell.
Her praised acting also earned her the Golden Globe Award for outstanding actress along with a Bafta.
'Sparkling Personality'
Her relatives released a statement saying: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, portraying diverse characters 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 iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We knew all those aspects of her personality because her charm was embedded in each one of them."
The statement continued she was their "devoted mother, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma", and her husband John Alderton's "life-long love"
"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us," they expressed, appreciating her caregivers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection"
"She experienced a calmer departure. We ask that you recall her at the peak of her career; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her"
New York Theater
She initially performed the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in the UK capital in 1988. She won that year's Olivier Award for outstanding actress.
The following year she returned to the character on the New York stage, where she picked up numerous prizes including a esteemed Tony Award.
The movie adaptation was launched shortly after.
Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which brought her wider recognition globally.
Born in Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near Liverpool and began her professional life as a teacher.
Her passion for theater led her to take up acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly 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 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 a family of three, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.
The couple performed alongside each other in a variety of screen projects, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.
