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| Joan Plowright alongside Cher in Tea With Mussolini Photo: © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved |
British star Dame Joan Plowright has died at the age of 95. In a career spanning six decades she made her mark in theatre, television and film. She was Oscar-nominated for Mike Newell's drama Enchanted April and won a Golden Globe for TV biopic Stalin. She also won a Tony Award for A Taste Of Honey in 1961.
Her family said: “It is with great sadness that the family of Dame Joan Plowright, the Lady Olivier, inform you that she passed away peacefully on 16 January 2025 surrounded by her family at Denville Hall at the glorious age of 95.
“Her brilliant career will be remembered by many, her wonderful being always cherished by her children Richard, Tamsin and Julie-Kate, their families and Joan’s many friends. We are deeply grateful for all those who helped care for her in her last years.”
Plowright retired a decade ago after losing her sight. The family added they were "so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being. She survived her many challenges with Plowright grit and courageous determination to make the best of them, and that she certainly did.".
Plowright was born in Brigg, North Lincolnshire, with nearby town Scunthorpe renaming the Civic Theatre the Plowright Theatre in her honour in the 1990s. Her father Bill founded the Little Theatre Club at the venue which still performs there.
She famously married fellow star Laurence Olivier, after they met while appearing together in John Osborne's The Entertainer at the Royal Court Theatre in 1957. At the time she was married to Roger Gage, while Olivier was married to Vivien Leigh. The pair reprised their roles in the film version of the film while falling in love off-screen. They wed in 1961, remaining together until Olivier's death in 1989 at the age of 85.
Other notable acting roles included Tea With Mussolini, Tom's Midnight Garden and The Spiderwick Chronicles.
She is survived by her three children Richard, Tamsin and Julie-Kate.
