Dame Joan Plowright Has Died

Legendary British actress Dame Joan Plowright has died at the age of 95. Plowright, reportedly passed away peacefully on Thursday night surrounded by her family at Denville Hall.

Plowright became a leading lady in London’s West End in the 1950s and steadily worked in theatre, film and TV right up until a decade ago when blindness forced her to retire – a career spanning nearly 70 years.

In her time she has won two Golden Globe Awards, a Tony Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy and two BAFTA Awards.

Early on she co-starred with Laurence Olivier in “The Entertainer” on stage in 1957, the pair falling in love and starring together in the 1960 film version. She remained married to Olivier right up until his death in 1989.

Primarily a stage actress, she nonetheless popped up on film occasionally such as “Uncle Vanya,” “Equus,” “Britannia Hospital,” “Brimstone & Treacle,” “Revolution” and “The Dressmaker”.

After Olivier’s passing though is when she really broke through on film in her sixties with roles like her Oscar-nominated turn in “Enchanted April” along with “Dennis the Menace,” “I Love You To Death,” “The Scarlet Letter,” “101 Dalmatians,” “Jane Eyre,” “Tea with Mussolini,” “Widows’ Peak,” “Bringing Down the House,” “Curious George,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont”.

She also appeared in several telemovies and mini-series including “Stalin,” “The Return of the Native,” “A Place for Annie,” “Encore! Encore!,” and “The Importance of Being Earnest”.

West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes in tribute to Dame Joan on Tuesday.

Source: BBC

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