🔗 Share this article The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of the Film Shirley Valentine, Dies at the Age of 85 The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the movie Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the age of 85. Her passing was peaceful in her London care home, in the company of her loved ones after living with Parkinson's disease for a number of years, as stated by her family. Collins will be best remembered for her portrayal of unhappy homemaker Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's acclaimed motion picture, adapted from the acclaimed stage play by playwright Willy Russell. Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe Award for outstanding actress along with a Bafta. 'Witty Presence' She appeared with her husband John Alderton in Upstairs Downstairs, featured between 1971 to 1973 Collins' family said in a statement: "Pauline was so many things to countless individuals, portraying diverse characters in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on theater and film. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens." "Her memory will endure as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We knew all those parts of her because her charm was embedded in each one of them." The statement continued she was their "loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma", and actor John Alderton's "eternal partner" "Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they said, thanking her carers, who cared for her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love" "She experienced a calmer departure. We hope you will remember her at the peak of her career; so joyful and full of energy; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her" New York Theater Collins first played the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in the UK capital in 1988. She received that year's Olivier award for best actress. A year later she returned to the character on Broadway, New York, where she picked up numerous prizes including a esteemed Tony Award. The movie adaptation was launched shortly after. Her other films included 1991's City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which gained her international fame worldwide. A native of Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised 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 medical attendant in the TV series Emergency Ward 10. She featured in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London adult entertainment venue, the Windmill Theatre. Following several theater parts, she used her Liverpool accent to secure a part on the show The Liver Birds. It was through acting that she met her husband John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. The couple performed alongside each other in a variety of screen projects, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she portrayed a servant in ITV's popular series.