🔗 Share this article Pauline Collins, Star of the Film Shirley Valentine, Dies at Eighty-Five Years Old The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her performance in the movie Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old. Her passing was peaceful in her London residence, 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 portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's award-winning film, based on the celebrated theatrical production by playwright Willy Russell. Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe for best actress as well as a Bafta. 'Witty Presence' She appeared with her spouse John Alderton in Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Collins' family released a statement saying: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, portraying diverse characters in her life. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure on theater and film. Her distinguished work saw her play politicians, mothers and queens." "Her memory will endure as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a role that she made all her own. We knew all those aspects of her personality because her magic was contained in every single role." They added 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, thanking her carers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection" "She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the peak of her career; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her" Stage Success Collins first played the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in the UK capital in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for outstanding actress. A year later she returned to the character on the New York stage, where she earned several awards including a esteemed Tony Award. The film of the same name was released later that year. Additional movie roles included 1991's 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 started out her career as a educator. Her passion for theater 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 starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, portraying an imaginary performer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theatre. Following several theater parts, she employed her regional dialect to secure a part on the show The Liver Birds. It was through acting that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. The couple performed alongside each other in a variety of screen projects, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in ITV's popular series.