Pauline Collins, the Oscar-nominated star of “Shirley Valentine” and breakout on the U.K.’s beloved ITV drama “Upstairs, Downstairs,” died Wednesday at age 85.
She passed “peacefully” in London surrounded by loved ones, her family said in a statement. She had lived with Parkinson’s for several years.
“Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life,” her family’s statement reads. “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 role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them.”
Her performance in Lewis Gilbert’s “Shirley Valentine” as the titular housewife, which she originated on stage, was universally acclaimed. Her portrayal of an unsatisfied, middle-aged housewife who travels to Greece to reclaim her verve for living earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 1990, along with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and a BAFTA Award win for Best Actress. She was previously BAFTA-nominated for “Upstairs, Downstairs” in 1973.
“Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us,” her family’s Thursday statement continued, adding of her caretakers that “she could not have had a more peaceful goodbye.”
They concluded: “We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her.”
Born Sept. 3, 1940, Collins married actor John Alderton in 1969 and collaborated with him often. They co-starred in the second series of “Upstairs, Downstairs” and later its 1979 spinoff “Thomas & Sarah,” among others.
“What I saw was not only her brilliant range of diverse characters but her magic of bringing out the best in all of the people she worked with,” Alderton said in a separate statement on her passing. “She wanted everyone to be special and she did this by never saying ‘Look at me.’ It’s no wonder that she was voted the nation’s sweetheart in the 1970s.”
The acclaimed U.K. actress was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2001 for her services to drama.
