Dame Joan Plowright, one of Britain’s greatest stage actresses, has died aged 95. Her early career was predominantly focused on the stage, with the Tony and Golden Globe winner preferring theatre work to movie roles. “You do films if the roof needs mending,” she once said about her decision to take up screen work occasionally. Her versatility and good humour charmed theatre audiences in many notable roles, such as playing a troubled teenager in A Taste of Honey in 1961, which won her a Tony. Other remarkable stage work includes Saint Joan in 1963 and Saturday, Sunday, Monday ten years later. She also appeared in several films, such as Enchanted April in 1992 and Tea with Mussolini in 1999.
Plowright was married to Sir Laurence Olivier, one of the most celebrated actors of his time, for 28 years until he passed away in 1989. Following his death, she continued to act in films and on stage, retiring only in 2014 due to macular degeneration. Born on 29 October 1929 in Brigg, Lincolnshire, her career began when she was just three years old. Encouraged by her mother, who was an amateur actor, Plowright studied drama at Bristol Old Vic after attending Scunthorpe Grammar School. She made her stage debut as a professional actress in 1948 and joined the Royal Court Theatre in London by 1956, where she gained recognition, starring in productions penned by the Angry Young Men from the Royal Court theatre.
Her appearances in plays and movies with Olivier brought her much recognition. The couple first appeared together in a 1957 production of John Osborne’s The Entertainer. Their mutual respect turned into romance, leading to Olivier’s divorce from Vivien Leigh in 1960 and Plowright’s divorce from her former spouse the same year. Olivier and Plowright married in Connecticut in 1961, and went on to have three children. Their relationship impacted Plowright’s decision to not appear at the National Theatre, where Olivier served as director from 1962-1973, as she did not want to face accusations of favouritism. Nevertheless, she accepted a ten-year contract with the theatre, performing far grander roles than those at the Royal Court.
Plowright won a Golden Globe for her role as Mrs. Fisher in the 1992 film Enchanted April, which also earned her an Oscar nomination. She also won a second Golden Globe for her role in the TV movie Stalin in the same year. Her range of work went beyond the classics, such as performances in Dennis the Menace, Last Action Hero, and 101 Dalmatians. After Olivier’s death, Plowright found solace in her work, appearing in a dozen films between 2000 and 2010, such as the comedy Bringing Down the House in 2003 and I Am David in the same year. The English actress saw the theatre as a more challenging medium than film, and in 2014, macular degeneration forced her to retire from all types of acting.
In 2018, she appeared in a BBC Arena film titled Nothing Like a Dame alongside three old friends – Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Eileen Atkins, where they shared candid stories about their lives and careers. The BBC adapted the theatre in her native Scunthorpe to be named after the actress. Plowright was a remarkable actress who found success in the theatre and film worlds, charming audiences with her talent and good humour
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