Joan Plowright, Tony-winning actress, dead at 95
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Award-winning British actress Joan Plowright, who played a significant role in revitalizing the UK’s theatrical scene alongside her late husband, Laurence Olivier, has passed away at the age of 95. The actress died on Thursday at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors in southern England, surrounded by her family. Her family shared a statement expressing pride in her illustrious career, which spanned over seven decades across theatre, film, and television, noting that blindness had led to her retirement.
Plowright was part of a remarkable generation of British actors, including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, and Vanessa Redgrave. Over the years, she accumulated numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and Oscar and Emmy nominations. She was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004 for her contributions to the arts.
From the 1950s through the 1980s, Plowright accumulated an extensive portfolio of stage performances, including roles in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. She also impressed audiences with performances in Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs and George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara and Saint Joan. In a 2010 interview with The Actor’s Work, she reflected on the magic of her career: “I still feel, when a curtain goes up or the lights come on… the magic of what is going to unfold.” Her profound influence on British theater was so great that theaters in London’s West End dimmed their lights for two minutes at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in her honor.
Born Joan Ann Plowright in Brigg, Lincolnshire, England, she was introduced to theater early, with her mother running an amateur drama group. She joined in from the age of 3, attending summer drama school sessions during school breaks. After high school, she studied at the Laban Art of Movement Studio in Manchester, followed by a two-year scholarship at the drama school at London’s Old Vic Theatre.
Plowright’s stage debut came in 1954, and she joined the Royal Court Theatre in 1956. Her career gained momentum during the 1950s when she appeared in works by the Angry Young Men, including plays by John Osborne. She performed alongside a new generation of working-class actors like Albert Finney, Alan Bates, and Anthony Hopkins.
In 1956, Plowright made her film debut in a small role in John Huston’s epic adaptation of Moby Dick, starring Gregory Peck. The following year, she appeared alongside her future husband, Laurence Olivier, in the original London production of Osborne’s The Entertainer. The two later reprised their roles in the 1960 film adaptation.
Olivier’s love letters to Plowright were filled with tender affection, one writing, “I sometimes feel such a peacefulness come over me when I think of you… a feeling devoid of all violence, passion, or shattering longing.” Olivier passed away in 1989 at the age of 82, but Plowright’s career flourished in the years that followed, even as she reached her 60s.
She starred in Franco Zeffirelli’s Jane Eyre in 1996 and appeared in the Merchant-Ivory film Surviving Picasso. She also played a prominent role in Disney’s live-action 101 Dalmatians, alongside Glenn Close. In 1993, Plowright won two Golden Globes in one year—one for her role in the TV miniseries Stalin and another for her performance in Enchanted April, which earned her an Academy Award nomination.
While her career had its less successful moments, such as in The Scarlet Letter (1995) and Goose on the Loose (2011), Plowright’s legacy in theater and film remained unparalleled. She was also known for her role as a staunch advocate for her late husband’s legacy, often defending him in the press and curating his letters.
Survived by her three children—Tamsin, Richard, and Julie-Kate, all of whom are actors—Plowright leaves behind a lasting impact on the world of theater. She will be remembered not only for her extraordinary talent but also for her warmth and inclusivity, which shaped both her personal and professional life.
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