Raised Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2004, Joan Plowright, with an extensive career in cinema and on stage, died on January 16 at the age of 95. She was also known for being the widow of the sacred monster of the British scene, Laurence Olivier.
She met him when she was just starting out, in 1960, playing with him at the theater in Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros” directed by Orson Welles and at the cinema in “The Cabotin”. She is 31, he is 53 and both are married, he to Vivien Leigh, unforgettable star of “Gone with the Wind”. They left their spouses and married in 1961. They had three children and remained together until the actor’s death in 1989.
In the cinema, Joan Plowright is particularly known for “Equus” in 1977 with Richard Burton, which she found in 1983 in the mini-series “Wagner”, about the German composer. She played in “Revolution” in 1985 with Al Pacino, “Denis la Malice” in 1993, “101 Dalmatians” with Glenn Close in 1996 and was part of the brilliant cast of “Tea with Mussolini”, in 1999. She was from the generation of those other great British film actresses, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. Cher completes the cast.
One of her last roles was as Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick in “The Spiderwick Chronicles” in 2008. She ended her career in 2014, losing her eyesight.
-In 1993, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in “Enchanted April” and for an Emmy the same year in the miniseries “Stalin.” Loser, she however won two Golden Globes for these two roles.
In 2001, she published her autobiography, “And That’s Not All: The Memoirs of Joan Plowright.” “She passed away peacefully surrounded by her loved ones,” her family said in a statement. “Her brilliant career will be remembered by many people and her children, Richard, Tamsin and Julie-Kate, their families, and her many friends will always cherish her.”
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