Glenda Jackson, two-time Oscar winner for best actress and former British politician, has died. She was 87 years old.
Her death was confirmed by her agent, Lionel Larner, who said in a statement: “Glenda Jackson, two-time Academy Award-winning actress and politician, passed away peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London this morning , after a short illness with her family. beside her.”
The statement continued: “She recently finished filming The Great Escaper in which she co-starred with Michael Caine.”
Born on May 9, 1936, in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, Jackson made her professional stage debut in Ted Willis’ Doctor in the House. She went on to appear in various stage productions before making her film debut in a small role in This Sporting Life (1963).
Jackson’s screen roles continued from there, her lead role in Ken Russell’s Women in Love (1969) leading to her first Academy Award for Best Actress. His second Academy Award came for his role in Melvin Frank’s romantic comedy A Touch of Class (1973).
On television, Jackson played Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC series Elizabeth R (1971), having her head shaved for the role. The series, which aired on PBS in the US, won her two Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance.
Jackson retired from acting in 1991 to focus on her political career, where she was an MP for the UK Labor Party. In 1997, she was appointed as a junior minister in Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government. He remained in office until 2015, after which he retired from politics and returned to acting after an absence of 23 years.
She returned to the stage, appearing in William Shakespeare’s King Lear at London’s Old Vic Theater and in the Broadway revival of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, for which she won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in -a piece.
Her most recent screen work came in the 2019 television drama Elizabeth Is Missing, based on Emma Healey’s novel of the same name. Jackson won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the International Emmy Award for her role.