Joan Plowright, the English actor whose decadeslong career included an Oscar-nominated turn in “Enchanted April ” and films “The Entertainer ” and “Stalin, ” has died.
The actor died Thursday at Denville Hall, a retirement apartment for players in southern England, her household said Friday in a speech to the Associated Press. She was 95.
“She enjoyed a long and illustrious job across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until deafness made her leave, ” her family said. “We are but glad of all Joan did and who she was as a caring and profoundly diverse human being. ”
Plowright may be remembered as the third and final woman of British acting legend Laurence Olivier, but she leaves behind an amazing legacy of her own that covered theatre, film and television.
By the first year of her marriage to Olivier, Plowright was a Tony-winning actor ( she won for “A Taste of Honey ” in 1961 ) who had graced stages on Broadway and in London, including as a member of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre. She was even a BAFTA-nominated legend who earned important compliment for her performance in Tony Richardson’s 1960 film, “The Entertainer, ” which also starred Olivier as her father.
Plowright, however, saw even more professional success after Olivier’s death in 1989, as she delivered memorable performances in films throughout the ’90s and early aughts, including “Enchanted April, ” “Stalin, ” The Scarlet Letter ” and “The Spiderwick Chronicles. ”
In director Mike Newell’s “Enchanted April, ” Plowright shared the screen with Alfred Molina , Miranda Richardson and Polly Walker as the elderly Mrs. Fisher, one of four people seeking relief on an Italian getaway. Plowright’s “Enchanted April ” performance earned her her first and only Academy Award election, for supporting artist. At the 1993 Golden Globes, Plowright earned two prizes: a supporting actress in a motion picture reward for “Enchanted April, ” and a supporting actress in a set, movie or TV drama for “Stalin. ”
Plowright often portrayed the grandmotherly type in a variety of films, including family-friendly titles “101 Dalmatians ” and “Dennis the Menace. ” In a 1996 discussion with The Times, Plowright said she did n’t head.
“ When you get such interesting and intriguing movie jobs, it does n’t seemed dreadfully exhilarating to be in the 257th restoration of ‘The Competitors,’” she said. “And it ’s joy setting off all over the world — and being really well-paid. ”
In film, Plowright’s credits include “Tea With Mussolini, ” “Surviving Picasso, ” “ I Love You to Death, ” “Avalon” and “Drowning by Numbers. ” Her broadcast performances include “Encore! Encore! ” and the films “On Promised Land, ” “A Place for Annie” and “Back to the Secret Garden. ”
The artist was also one of four disciplines of the Roger Michell video “Nothing Like a Dame. ” The 2018 job celebrated the profession of Plowright and her brother actor-dames Eileen Atkins , Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
Plowright was born Oct. 28, 1929, in Brigg , North Lincolnshire, England, to columnist and editor William Ernest Plowright, and his family , Daisy Margaret. She began her acting in performs put on by her family. At age 15, she won a crisis glass and with it the chance to spend a year in a small part with the Harry Hanson Players. After she was rejected for the role ( Hanson told her, “Go home, my dear, go home” ), she received a scholarship to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Her second wedding was to Roger Gage in 1953; they divorced in 1960. Plowright initially caught Olivier’s attention in a Royal Court creation of “The Country Wife. ” In 1957, they shared the stage in the initial creation of John Osborne’s “The Entertainer ” in London.
“ I realized Larry was falling in love with me, ” she told The Times in 1996, when he called her by a dog title while they were in performances.
Olivier and “Gone With the Wind ” star Vivien Leigh ended their relationship after 20 times in 1960 amid the former’s encounter with Plowright. A year later, Plowright and Olivier wed. After the wedding, Plowright’s acting career became supplementary to that of a wife and mother — she and Olivier had three children together.
“ He was a world-famous figure, and I sensed the obligation I had in helping to keep his life going in an enormously important, highly stressful job, ” she recalled to The Times. “Larry did n’t want us to be boats that passed in the day. ”
Plowright also published “And That’s No All: The Memoirs of Joan Plowright” in 2002. The memoir chronicled her upbringing, her romance with Olivier ( portrayed through their love letters ) and the rumors that surrounded her husband’s sexuality.
In 2004, a few years before her last video images, Plowright was named Dame Commander of the British Empire during Queen Elizabeth II ’s tenure. Plowright said the prize was “a sort of coronation in one’s career success. ”
“It’s a little misleading. I’ve got so many titles : Dame Olivier and Lady Plowright, ” she joked , according to the BBC. “ I only say call me Joan. ”
Plowright was preceded in death by Gage and Olivier. She is survived by children Julie Kate Olivier , Tamsin Olivier and Richard Olivier, and three children.
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