Award winning actress Glenda Jackson died June 15, 2023 in her London home at the age of 87 following a brief illness.
She had recently finished filming “The Great Escape” with Michael Caine.
Taking a break from acting in 1990, Jackson spent 23 years as a member of Parliament and in the Ministry of Transportation during Tony Blair’s administration.
Earning awards on both sides of the Atlantic, Jackson is a Tony, Academy, Emmy, and BAFTA winner. She is also a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Born in the northwest England town of Birkenhead on May 9, 1936; Glenda May Jackson was named after Hollywood film start Glenda Farrell. Her family was poor but a scholarship to RADA – Royal Academy of Dramatic Art – paved the way for a long and successful career. Before RADA it was plays at the YMCA with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Broadway, and Hollywood after.
She made her Broadway debut in 1965 with “The Persecution and Assassination of Marat”. She also appeared in “Rose”, “Strange Interlude”, “Macbeth”, “Three Tall Women”, and “King Lear”. She won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for her role in “Three All Women”.
Her Hollywood career began with an uncredited role in 1956 in “The Extra Day”. From there she went on to appear in some 50 film and television productions including the “Armchair Theatre”, “Women in Love” – for which she won an Academy Award, “Elizabeth R” which earned her an Emmy, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “Mary Queen of Scots”, “A Touch of Class” which earned her a second Oscar, “The Romantic Englishwoman”, “The Patricia Neal Story”, and “Elizabeth is Missing” for which she earned her BAFTA award.
She is survived by her son Dan and grandson.
Feature photo credit: screenshot di Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)