UK actress Glenda Jackson, known for her Oscar-winning performances in Women In Love and A Touch Of Class, has died aged 87.
Jackson, who was also a former Labour MP, ”died peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London this morning after a brief illness with her family at her side,” according to her agent Lionel Larner.
Born in Birkenhead, UK, Jackson’s acting career began in theatre in the late 1950’s before she made her big screen debut with an uncredited role in Lindsay Anderson’s This Sporting Life (1963).
She rose to prominence with an Oscar-winning turn in Ken Russell’s 1969 film Women In Love. She was nominated again in 1972 for John Schlesinger’s Sunday Bloody Sunday and in 1976 for Trevor Nunn’s Hedda in addition to her other win for Melvin Frank’s A Touch Of Class in 1973.
Other notable roles included Queen Elizabeth I who she portrayed in Mary, Queen Of Scots (1971) and again in BBC series Elizabeth R the following year, winning two Emmys for the latter.
In 1992, Jackson took a hiatus from acting to pursue politics, joining the House of Commons as a Labour MP from 1992 to 2015. She then returned to acting, winning a TV Bafta and international Emmy for Elizabeth Is Missing in 2019.
Her final role is the upcoming feature The Great Escaper which will be released in October of this year. Jackson stars alongside Michael Caine who released a statement earlier today (June 15) calling her “one of our greatest movie actresses”.
The film’s director, Oliver Parker, also released a statement on behalf of the filmmakers which said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Glenda’s passing. It was the privilege of a lifetime to work with her. She had such fierce intelligence, such passion, and fearlessness. It is hard to believe that it was less than a month ago that we screened the finished film for her and Michael – she was as feisty and vibrant as ever and we will treasure the memory of that emotional and happy day.”
No comments yet