🔗 Share this article Pauline Collins, Star of Shirley Valentine, Passes Away at 85 The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old. She died peacefully in her London care home, in the company of her loved ones after living with Parkinson's disease for several years, as stated by her relatives. Collins will be best remembered for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's award-winning motion picture, adapted from the celebrated stage play by playwright Willy Russell. Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe for best actress along with a Bafta. 'Charming and Witty' Collins starred opposite her spouse John Alderton in Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Collins' family said in a statement: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her career. A bright, sparky, witty presence on theater and film. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens." "She will always be remembered as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We knew all those parts of her because her charm was embedded in each one of them." They added she was their "devoted mother, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma", and actor John Alderton's "life-long love" "Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was constantly supportive," they said, thanking her carers, who cared for her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love" "She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; radiant and energetic; and give us the space and privacy to reflect on life in her absence" Stage Success She initially performed 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. A year later she returned to the character on Broadway, New York, where she picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award. The film of the same name was launched shortly after. Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which gained her international fame worldwide. A native of Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near the city of Liverpool and started out her career as a educator. Her passion for theater led her to take up acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a nurse in the TV series Emergency Ward 10. She starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, portraying an imaginary performer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theater. Following several theater parts, she employed her regional dialect to land a role on the show The Liver Birds. Her acting career that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had a family of three, their sons and daughter. Alderton and Collins starred alongside each other in a variety of screen projects, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she portrayed a servant in ITV's popular series.