Glenda Jackson, Oscar-winning actress and former Labour MP, dies aged 87

Glenda Jackson, the Oscar-winning actress and former Labour MP, has died on the age of 87.

In an announcement, her agent Lionel Larner mentioned: “Glenda Jackson, two-time Academy Award-winning actress and politician, died peacefully at her residence in Blackheath, London, this morning after a short sickness along with her household at her aspect.

“She recently completed filming The Great Escaper in which she co-starred with Michael Caine.”

Jackson received the Oscar for finest actress in 1970 for her efficiency as a headstrong artist in director Ken Russell’s adaptation of DH Lawrence’s novel Women in Love, and once more three years later for romantic comedy A Touch Of Class.

However, she selected to not attend the Hollywood ceremony on both event. Despite her profitable profession in leisure – she additionally received two Emmy Awards and a Tony – she by no means had any curiosity within the social and glamorous elements of the business, and devoted herself to politics within the Nineties.

She additionally as soon as mentioned she would “probably” flip down a damehood if she had been to be supplied one, as a result of “what does it actually mean?”

Jackson was elected because the Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 1992 and served as a junior transport minister from 1997 to 1999 when Sir Tony Blair was prime minister.

However, a return to appearing – and awards – got here after she stood down as an MP on the 2015 normal election. In 2019 she starred as a lady affected by dementia in Elizabeth Is Missing, and received a TV BAFTA for finest actress the next yr. She additionally received important acclaim for taking part in King Lear on stage.

Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for what’s now the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency, is amongst these paying tribute following Jackson’s dying.

“Devastated to hear that my predecessor Glenda Jackson has died,” she wrote on Twitter. “A formidable politician, an amazing actress and a very supportive mentor to me. Hampstead and Kilburn will miss you Glenda.”

Downing Street described Jackson’s dying as “extremely sad news” and mentioned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s “thoughts will be with her friends and family at this time”.

Diane Abbott, who turned a Labour MP in 1987, described Jackson as a “kind and extremely principled woman” in her tribute on social media.

Labour MP and shadow tradition secretary Lucy Powell, who labored for and alongside Glenda Jackson, recalled the “incredibly kind” politician’s humour as she paid tribute.

“This is very sad news. In my early twenties I worked for Glenda, a decade later our MPs offices were next door,” she wrote on Twitter.

“She was always incredibly kind & supportive to me. I will also remember her cutting humour, general disdain at most things, all while smoking!”

Before her dying, Jackson had been reunited with fellow double Oscar-winner Sir Michael Caine, who she final acted with in The Romantic Englishwoman in 1975.

Their upcoming movie The Great Escaper is impressed by true occasions, telling the story of a Second World War veteran who escaped his care residence in Hove, East Sussex, to attend a commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of the D-Day landings in France.

Born in Birkenhead in 1936, Jackson mentioned she solely began appearing after she failed her faculty certificates, leaving her with no choice however to start out working on the age of 16.

While working at her native Boots retailer, she joined a buddy on the YMCA novice dramatics society and went on to review on the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She wrote to the distinguished faculty and was supplied a spot after auditioning, however couldn’t afford the charges.

A supervisor at Boots wrote to the county council on the time and so they native authority paid for her, paving the best way for rise to stardom.

Her huge break got here in 1964 when director Peter Brook selected Jackson to play Charlotte Corday in his stage manufacturing
of Marat/Sade, which was set in a lunatic asylum.

As nicely as her Oscar-winning performances, Jackson additionally performed Egyptian queen Cleopatra in 1971 for an episode of The Morecambe & Wise Show with comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.

Other notable movie roles included John Schlesinger’s Sunday Bloody Sunday with Peter Finch, and he or she additionally portrayed Queen Elizabeth in Mary, Queen of Scots reverse Vanessa Redgrave within the titular function.

After greater than three many years on stage and movie, Jackson took her no-nonsense, straight-talking type into politics, angered by the harm she believed was being inflicted on the working lessons by former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

“We must work for the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the frail, the sick,” she advised supporters as she received her seat in parliament in 1992.

After Labour received energy in May 1997, she held the place of junior transport minister for 2 years.

Though she remained in parliament, securing re-election in 2001, 2005 and 2010, she turned
more and more out of step with Tony Blair’s extra centrist strategy and determined in 2011 to not contest the next election.

Jackson was married from 1958 to 1976 to stage director Roy Hodges. She is survived by their son, Daniel Hodges, who was born in 1969.