🔗 Share this article The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at the Age of 85 Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the movie Shirley Valentine, has died at the eighty-five years old. She died peacefully in her London care home, in the company of her family after battling Parkinson's for a number of years, as stated by her family. Her legacy will be defined for her depiction of disgruntled housewife Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's award-winning motion picture, adapted from the celebrated theatrical production by Willy Russell. Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe for outstanding actress along with a BAFTA award. 'Sparkling Personality' She appeared with her husband John Alderton in the series Upstairs Downstairs, featured between 1971 to 1973 Her relatives said in a statement: "Pauline was so many things to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her career. 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 aspects of her personality because her charm was embedded in every single role." They added she was their "loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandmother", and her husband John Alderton's "life-long love" "Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they expressed, thanking her caregivers, who looked after 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; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her" Broadway Role She initially performed the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in London in 1988. She won that year's Olivier Award for outstanding actress. A year later she reprised the role on the New York stage, where she picked up numerous prizes including a esteemed Tony Award. The film of the same name was launched shortly after. Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition worldwide. Born in Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool and began her professional life as a teacher. Her passion for theater inspired her to pursue acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a nurse in the Emergency Ward 10. She featured in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theater. After a number of stage roles, she employed her regional dialect to secure a part on The Liver Birds. Her acting career that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had a family of three, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. Alderton and Collins starred alongside each other in a number of television and film roles, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in ITV's popular series.