🔗 Share this article Pauline Collins, Star of the Film Shirley Valentine, Passes Away 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 residence, surrounded by her loved ones after battling Parkinson's for a number of years, according to her relatives. Her legacy will be defined for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's award-winning film, based on the acclaimed theatrical production by Willy Russell. Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe for best actress as well as a Bafta. 'Charming and Witty' Collins starred opposite her spouse John Alderton in the series Upstairs Downstairs, appearing from 1971 to 1973 Her relatives released a statement saying: "Pauline was so many things 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." "Her memory will endure as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in every single role." The statement continued she was their "devoted mother, our beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and actor John Alderton's "eternal partner" "Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they said, appreciating her carers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love" "She experienced a more peaceful goodbye. We ask that you recall her at the peak of her career; so joyful and full of energy; and allow us privacy to contemplate a life without her" Broadway Role Collins first played the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in London 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 picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award. The movie adaptation was launched shortly after. Her other films included 1991's City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which brought her wider recognition globally. A native of Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool and started out her career as a educator. Her love of the stage led her to take up acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a medical attendant in the TV series Emergency Ward 10. She starred in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theater. Following several theater parts, she used her Liverpool accent to secure a part on The Liver Birds. Her acting career that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had a family of three, their sons and daughter. Alderton and Collins starred together in a variety of screen projects, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.