🔗 Share this article Pauline Collins, Lead Actress of Shirley Valentine, Dies at 85 The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her role in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old. Her passing was peaceful in her London care home, in the company of her family after living with Parkinson's for several years, as stated by her family. Collins will be best remembered for her depiction of disgruntled housewife Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's acclaimed film, adapted from the acclaimed theatrical production by playwright Willy Russell. Her praised acting also earned her the Golden Globe for best actress as well as a BAFTA award. 'Sparkling Personality' Collins starred opposite her spouse John Alderton in the series Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Collins' family released a statement saying: "Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her career. A bright, sparky, witty presence on theater and film. Her distinguished work saw her play politicians, mothers and queens." "Her memory will endure as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her charm was embedded in each one of them." The statement continued she was their "devoted mother, our beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and her husband John Alderton's "life-long love" "Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they expressed, thanking her caregivers, who cared for her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection" "She experienced a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her" New York Theater Collins first played the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in the UK capital in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for outstanding actress. The following year she returned to the character on Broadway, New York, where she picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award. The movie adaptation was launched shortly after. Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which gained her international fame worldwide. A native of Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near the city of Liverpool and began her professional life as a educator. Her love of the stage inspired her to pursue acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a medical attendant in the TV series Emergency Ward 10. She featured in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London adult entertainment venue, the Windmill Theatre. After a number of stage roles, she used her Liverpool accent to land a role on the show The Liver Birds. Her acting career that she met her husband John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. Alderton and Collins starred alongside each other in a number of television and film roles, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in ITV's popular series.