🔗 Share this article Pauline Collins, Star of the Film Shirley Valentine, Dies at Eighty-Five Years Old The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the age of 85. Her passing was peaceful in her London care home, in the company of her family after battling Parkinson's disease for a number of years, as stated by her family. Collins will be best remembered for her depiction of unhappy homemaker Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's award-winning film, based on the celebrated theatrical production by playwright Willy Russell. Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe Award for outstanding actress along with a BAFTA award. 'Charming and Witty' She appeared with her husband John Alderton in the series Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Collins' family released a statement saying: "She was a multifaceted person to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on theater and film. Her distinguished work saw her play politicians, mothers and queens." "She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a role that she made all her own. 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" "Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was constantly supportive," they expressed, appreciating her carers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love" "She could not have had a calmer departure. We hope you will remember her at the peak of her career; so joyful and full of energy; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her" Stage Success Collins first played the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in the UK capital in 1988. She received that year's Olivier award for outstanding actress. The following year she reprised the role on Broadway, New York, where she earned several awards including a esteemed Tony Award. The film of the same name was released later that year. Additional movie roles included the 1991 film City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition worldwide. A native of Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near Liverpool and started out her career as a teacher. Her passion for theater inspired her to pursue acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a nurse in the TV series Emergency Ward 10. She featured in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, portraying an imaginary performer 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 Liver Birds. It was through acting that she met her husband John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. Alderton and Collins starred together in a number of television and film roles, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in ITV's popular series.