Screen legend Dame Joan Plowright dies aged 95
PA Media Dame Joan Plowright holds her medal after being made a Dame in 2004 .
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Joan Plowright was made a Dame in 2004.
Dame Joan Plowright, one of the most famous stars of the British stage and the widow of Sir Laurence Olivier, has died aged 95.
Her career spanned 60 years and included an Oscar nomination for the 1991 film Enchanted April.
She married Olivier in 1961 after starring opposite him as his daughter in The Entertainer and became a leading member of the National Theatre, which he founded.
In a statement, her family said they were "so proud of everything Joan did and who she was as a loving and very inclusive human being".
Obituary: A film star whose first love was the theatre
PA Media Black and white photo of Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright face to face during rehearsals for The EntertainerPA Media
Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright first appeared together in The Entertainer in 1957.
"Brave and courageous"
Her family said: "It is with great sadness that the family of Dame Joan Plowright, Lady Olivier, announce that she passed away peacefully on 16 January 2025 surrounded by her family at Denville Hall at the age of 95. "She enjoyed a long and distinguished career in theatre, film and television spanning seven decades until blindness forced her to retire.
"She cherished her last 10 years in Sussex with constant visits from friends and family, filled with lots of laughter and fond memories."
They added: "She overcame her many challenges with Plowright's unwavering courage and determination to make the best of them, and she certainly did."
"Rest in peace, Joan..."
She had been retired for a decade, after losing her sight and being declared blind.
Portrait of Joan Plowright 1978
Born in Scunthorpe, Plowright became a leading actress in London's West End in the 1950s, first appearing opposite Olivier in John Osborne's The Entertainer at the Royal Court in 1957.
He was also married to Gone With the Wind star Vivien Leigh at the time, and Plowright was married to her first husband Roger Gage.
Plowright and Olivier fell in love and their acting partnership earned them both Bafta nominations for the 1960 film version of The Entertainer.
That year, Plowright also made her American debut in A Taste of Honey on Broadway, where she won a Tony Award for her performance.
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Other notable performances include George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, as Joan of Arc, in 1963, for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
And she won a West End Theatre Society Award - later renamed the Olivier Award in honour of her husband - in 1978 for Philomena.
She received another Bafta nomination the same year for her performance in the film version of Equus opposite Richard Burton. In Bewitched April, her role as the elegant but intelligent Mrs. Fisher earned her a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1993.
Nothing Like a Dame
Dame Joan was part of a generation of great actresses and appeared alongside Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith in the 1999 film Tea with Mussolini.
More recently, she was seen reminiscing and having fun with Dame Judi, Dame Maggie and Dame Eileen Atkins in the 2018 BBC documentary Nothing Like A Dame.
In a clip from the show that went viral online, a slightly disappointed Dame Maggie is seen telling Dame Judi that she was "always the first one asked" when she was offered an acting role.
Dame Joan initially missed the exchange because one of her hearing aids had fallen out, but later joined in on the joke, also telling a similar story. The late Dame Maggie, who died in September 2024, was later given a replacement hearing aid.
West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes in Dame Joan's honour on Tuesday.
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Hannah Essex, Joint Chief Executive of Theatre UK and the Society of London Theatre, said: "Dame Joan Plowright was an iconic and highly respected figure in the world of theatre, leaving an indelible mark on the industry she founded with her talent and dedication. .
"We are honoured to help celebrate her extraordinary career and express our sincere condolences to her family and loved ones." »
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