“Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life,” the family said. “A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen.”
Throughout her extensive career in television, film, and theatre, Collins skillfully portrayed a wide range of characters, each brought to life with her signature authenticity, earning her the beloved title of a “national sweetheart” in the UK.
“She will always be remembered for Shirley Valentine, not only for her Oscar nomination or the film itself, but for clean-sweeping all seven awards when she portrayed her on Broadway in the stage play, in which she played every character herself,” her husband and fellow actor John Alderton said.
Rise of Pauline Collins
Collins was born on September 3, 1940, in Exmouth, Devon, England, and was raised in a devout Catholic household with Irish roots.
She first gained widespread attention in 1969 when she starred in the inaugural series of the BBC comedy The Liver Birds, which followed the lives and romantic adventures of two young women sharing an apartment in Liverpool.
Collins truly captured the public’s attention in 1971 when she secured a regular role in the ITV drama Upstairs Downstairs, a captivating series that explored the intertwined lives of a wealthy London family and their devoted household staff.
Her portrayal of a disillusioned Liverpool housewife who rediscovers herself on holiday in Greece earned her global acclaim, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1990. Collins also won the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award for the stage version.