🔗 Share this article The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Star of the Film Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at Eighty-Five Years Old Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her role in the film Shirley Valentine, has died at the eighty-five years old. She died peacefully in her London residence, surrounded by her loved ones after living with Parkinson's disease for several years, according to her relatives. Her legacy will be defined for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's award-winning film, based on the celebrated theatrical production by Willy Russell. Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe Award for best actress along with a Bafta. 'Charming and Witty' Collins starred opposite her spouse John Alderton in the series Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Collins' family said in a statement: "She was a multifaceted person to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure on stage and screen. Her distinguished work saw her portray leaders, parents, and royalty." "She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We were familiar with all those aspects of her personality because her magic was contained in each one of them." The statement continued she was their "loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma", and her husband John Alderton's "eternal partner" "Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was constantly supportive," they expressed, thanking her caregivers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love" "She experienced a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; so joyful and full of energy; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her" Stage Success She initially performed the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in the UK capital in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for best 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 released later that year. Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition worldwide. Born in Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised 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 part-time basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a medical attendant in the TV series Emergency Ward 10. She starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theater. Following several theater parts, she employed her regional dialect to secure a part on the show 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.