Award-winning British actor Dame Joan Plowright, renowned for her significant contributions to revitalizing the UK theatre scene after World War II, has passed away at the age of 95.
In a statement released on Friday, her family announced that Plowright died peacefully the previous day at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors in southern England, surrounded by her loved ones.
“She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film, and TV over seven decades until blindness forced her to retire,” the family shared. “We are so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being.”
Dame Joan Plowright belonged to a celebrated generation of British actors, including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Eileen Atkins. Throughout her illustrious career, she won a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and earned nominations for both an Academy Award and an Emmy.
She was also famously married to Laurence Olivier, the legendary English actor and director, who passed away in 1989 at the age of 82. Together, they became icons of British theatre and film.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, Plowright delivered unforgettable performances in a wide range of stage roles. She brought to life characters in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. She also captivated audiences in Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs and George Bernard Shaw’s iconic plays Major Barbara and Saint Joan.
In a 2010 interview with The Actor’s Work, Plowright reflected on her passion for the craft. “I’ve been very privileged to have such a life,” she said. “It’s magic, and I still feel it when the curtain rises or the lights come on — the magic of what is about to unfold.”
To honour her memory, theatres across London’s West End will dim their lights for two minutes at 7 pm on Tuesday.
Born in Brigg, Lincolnshire, England, Joan Plowright was introduced to the world of theatre by her mother, who ran an amateur drama group. By the age of three, Plowright was already involved in theatre, spending her school vacations at summer sessions hosted by university drama schools.
After completing high school, she pursued studies at the Laban Art of Movement Studio in Manchester and later won a two-year scholarship to the drama school at the Old Vic Theatre in London.
Plowright made her London stage debut in 1954 and, by 1956, had joined the Royal Court Theatre, gaining acclaim for her performances in the works of playwrights such as John Osborne, part of the Angry Young Men movement that transformed British theatre.