The entertainment world is mourning the loss of Pauline Collins, the acclaimed British actress best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in Shirley Valentine, who has died at the age of 85.
Her family announced she passed away peacefully at her care home in Highgate this week, having lived with Parkinson's disease for several years.
A Career of Phenomenal Skill
Tributes have poured in for the actress, described by her friend and co-star Tom Conti as possessing "phenomenal skill" and "star quality". Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Conti, who starred with Collins in the 1989 film Shirley Valentine, reflected on her incredible career.
"She started with Upstairs Downstairs, that's where she comes into the public consciousness, and she was just phenomenal in that, she just leapt out of the screen at us," he said. Conti emphasised that her acting appeared effortless, adding, "The secret of acting is not acting. She was brilliant for that."
From Liverpool to the West End
Born in Exmouth in 1940 and raised near Liverpool, Collins began her professional life as a teacher. Her acting career started part-time, with her first television role as a nurse in Emergency Ward 10.
She starred in the first series of the sitcom The Liver Birds, but it was her regular role in the period drama Upstairs Downstairs in 1971 that made her a household name.
Her defining role came as the bored Liverpudlian housewife Shirley Valentine. She first played the part in the 1988 West End production at the Vaudeville Theatre, winning an Olivier Award for best actress. The role was reprised in the 1989 film, which earned her an Oscar nomination.
Her success on Broadway was historic, where she won all seven major awards for her stage performance, in which she played every character herself.
Remembering a Generous Star
Fellow actors have shared heartfelt memories. Martin Jarvis, who worked with Collins on several projects, said he felt "devastating sadness" at her passing.
"I realised then that not only was she a superb actress but also a witty and generous human being," Jarvis stated.
Dame Joanna Lumley, who acted alongside Collins in Shirley Valentine, paid tribute to the "unforgettable" actress, praising her "blend of truthfulness and soulful naivety with impeccable comic timing and mischief".
Perhaps the most poignant tribute came from her husband of over five decades, actor John Alderton, whom she married in 1969. He said, "Her greatest performance was as my wife and mother to our beautiful children."
Collins's later work included starring in Dustin Hoffman’s 2012 comedy Quartet alongside acting legends and her final film role in 2017's The Time Of Their Lives with Dame Joan Collins. In 2001, she was made an OBE for her services to drama.
Her family has asked that anyone wishing to donate in her memory can make a contribution to Parkinson's UK at parkinsons.org.uk/donate.
