🔗 Share this article The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Star of Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at Eighty-Five Years Old The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the film 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 several years, according to her family. Her legacy will be defined for her depiction of unhappy homemaker Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's award-winning film, adapted from the celebrated stage play by Willy Russell. Her critically acclaimed performance won her the Golden Globe for outstanding actress along with a Bafta. 'Witty Presence' She appeared with her spouse John Alderton in Upstairs Downstairs, featured between 1971 to 1973 Her relatives said in a statement: "She was a multifaceted person 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 iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise 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 beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and actor John Alderton's "eternal partner" "Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was constantly supportive," they said, appreciating her caregivers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love" "She could not have had a calmer departure. We hope you will remember her at the peak of her career; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to reflect on life in her absence" New York Theater She initially performed the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in 1988. She won that year's Olivier Award for outstanding actress. The following year she reprised the role on Broadway, New York, where she picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award. The movie adaptation was released later that year. Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition globally. Born in Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near Liverpool and started out her career as a educator. Her love of the stage led her to take up acting on a side 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. After a number of stage roles, she used her Liverpool accent to secure a part on The Liver Birds. It was through acting that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had three children, their sons and daughter. The couple performed together in a number of television and film roles, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.