🔗 Share this article The Renowned Actress Pauline Collins, Star of Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at Eighty-Five Years Old Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her performance in the movie Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old. She died peacefully in her London care home, in the company of her family after living with Parkinson's disease for several years, according to her relatives. Her legacy will be defined for her depiction of unhappy homemaker Shirley in the director's acclaimed motion picture, based on the celebrated theatrical production by Willy Russell. Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe Award for best actress as well as a BAFTA award. 'Witty Presence' She appeared with her husband John Alderton in the series Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Collins' family released a statement saying: "She was a multifaceted person to so many people, portraying diverse characters in her life. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure on theater and film. Her distinguished work saw her portray leaders, parents, and royalty." "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 magic was contained 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" "Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, 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 more peaceful goodbye. 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 Collins first played the lead part 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 the New York stage, where she earned several awards 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 actor Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition worldwide. Born in Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near Liverpool and began her professional life as a teacher. Her passion for theater inspired her to pursue acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a nurse 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 adult entertainment venue, the Windmill Theater. Following several theater parts, she employed her regional dialect to secure a part on The Liver Birds. Her acting career that she met her husband John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had three children, their sons and daughter. Alderton and Collins starred together in a variety of screen projects, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she portrayed a servant in the acclaimed ITV program.