Pauline Collins, Oscar-Nominated “Shirley Valentine” Actress, Dies at 85
- - Pauline Collins, Oscar-Nominated “Shirley Valentine” Actress, Dies at 85
Jack SmartNovember 6, 2025 at 10:07 PM
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Pauline Collins in 2017 -
Pauline Collins died at age 85, her family announced on Nov. 6
The Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning British actress received a Parkinson's disease diagnosis years ago, per the BBC
In a loving statement, the Shirley Valentine star was described as “a bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen”
Oscar-nominated actress Pauline Collins has died at age 85 years after a Parkinson's disease diagnosis.
The British screen and stage star passed away "peacefully" in a London care home surrounded by her family, they said in a Thursday, Nov. 6 statement shared with the BBC.
“Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life,” they said, calling the late actress “a bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens.”
Collins was best known for her work as the titular middle-aged housewife in Shirley Valentine. She led Willy Russell’s one-character show on the West End and Broadway before reprising the character in the Lewis Gilbert-directed 1989 film adaptation, winning the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award before earning a BAFTA Award and Academy Award nomination.
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Pauline Collins in 1967
"She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine — a role that she made all her own,” continued Collins’ family in their statement. “We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them."
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Born in Exmouth, Devon, Collins studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and made her West End debut in Passion Flower Hotel in 1965. A year later she launched her film career in Secrets of a Windmill Girl.
TV Times via Getty
Pauline Collins and John Alderton in 'Upstairs, Downstairs'
The actress’ breakout role, in 1970s drama Upstairs, Downstairs, was one of several projects that costarred John Alderton, who her family called her "life-long love.” After marrying Collins in 1969, the 84-year-old actor joined the series’ second season and its 1979 spin-off Thomas & Sarah, plus 1974–75 sitcom No, Honestly and more.
"She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye,” concluded the statement from Collins’ family. “We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her."
Collins is survived by Alderton and their three children Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.
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