🔗 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, widely recognized for her role in the movie Shirley Valentine, has died at the eighty-five years old. Her passing was peaceful in her London residence, surrounded by her loved ones after living with Parkinson's disease for several years, as stated by her family. Collins will be best remembered for her portrayal of unhappy homemaker Shirley in the director's award-winning motion picture, based on the acclaimed theatrical production by playwright Willy Russell. Her praised acting also earned her the Golden Globe for best actress as well as a BAFTA award. 'Witty Presence' She appeared with her husband John Alderton in the series Upstairs Downstairs, featured between 1971 to 1973 Her relatives released a statement saying: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, portraying diverse characters in her career. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens." "She will always be remembered as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We knew all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them." The statement continued she was their "loving mum, our beloved grandmother and great-grandma", and her husband John Alderton's "eternal partner" "Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was constantly supportive," they said, appreciating her carers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love" "She could not have had a calmer departure. We ask that you recall her at the height of her powers; radiant and energetic; and give us the space and privacy to reflect on life in her absence" Stage Success Collins first played the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in 1988. She received that year's Olivier Award for best actress. The following year she reprised the role on Broadway, New York, where she earned several awards including a prestigious Tony award. The movie adaptation was launched shortly after. Her other films included 1991's City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition globally. A native of Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near the city of Liverpool and began her professional life as a teacher. Her love of the stage inspired her to pursue acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a nurse in the Emergency Ward 10. She starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London adult entertainment venue, the Windmill Theater. After a number of stage roles, she used her Liverpool accent to secure a part on the show The Liver Birds. Her acting career that she met her husband John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had a family of three, their sons and daughter. The couple performed alongside each other 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.