New Delhi: Glenda Jackson, a two-time Academy Award-winning actor, passed away at the age of 87. The actor also served as a British lawmaker and pursued a second career in politics before making a comeback to cinema.
She passed away on Thursday at her London home, according to Jackson's agent Lionel Larner, following a brief illness. “She recently completed filming The Great Escaper' in which she co-starred with Michael Caine," he said.
She entered politics after that, was elected to Parliament, and served 23 years as a Labour Party lawmaker. After leaving Parliament in 2015, Jackson resumed her acting career and landed some of her most popular roles, such as the lead in Shakespeare's King Lear.
In the 2019 film 'Elizabeth is Missing', she got her first acting appearance in more than 25 years. For her portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer's who is attempting to solve a mystery, Jackson received a BAFTA award.
Jackson was born to a bricklayer and a cleaning lady on May 9, 1936, in Birkenhead, a small port town close to Liverpool in northwest England. She started working in a pharmacy at the age of 16, performing amateur theatre in her spare time. She had her training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, rose to fame as one of the top British performers of the 1960s and 1970s. She played Ophelia in 'Hamlet' and Charlotte Corday in 'Marat/Sade' in 1965, two of her most notable roles with the theatre. The actor won two Academy Awards for her roles in 'Women in Love' in 1971 and 'A Touch of Class' in 1974.
Jackson was married to actor Roy Hodges from 1958 to 1976. They have a son, Dan Hodges, who is a political columnist. Veteran actor Glenda Jackson is survived by Dan.
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