Acting legend Dame Joan Plowright dies at 95
At the age of 95, Dame Joan Plowright, the widow of Sir Laurence Olivier and one of Britain’s most renowned stage and movie actors, passed away.
Over the course of her 60-year career, she received an Oscar nomination for the 1991 movie Enchanted April.
After playing his daughter alongside him in The Entertainer, she married Olivier in 1961 and rose to prominence at the National Theatre, which he founded.
Her family expressed their pride in being “so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being” in a statement.
Her family released the following statement: “Dame Joan Plowright, the Lady Olivier, passed away quietly at Denville Hall on January 16, 2025, at the age of 95, surrounded by her loved ones.
(FILES) Sir Laurence Olivier and English actress Joan Plowright play in a scene of his film “The Entertainer”, in 1960.
Before her blindness forced her to retire, she had a lengthy and distinguished career spanning seven decades in theater, cinema, and television.
“She cherished her last 10 years in Sussex with constant visits from friends and family, filled with much laughter and fond memories.”
They went on to say, “She overcame her numerous obstacles with Plowright tenacity and brave resolve to overcome them, which she most definitely did.
Plowright, who was born in Scunthorpe, rose to prominence in the West End of London in the 1950s. In 1957, she made her stage debut opposite Olivier in John Osborne’s The Entertainer at the Royal Court.
Plowright’s first husband, Roger Gage, was still married to Vivien Leigh, the star of Gone With the Wind, at the time.
Following their romantic relationship, Plowright and Olivier received BAFTA nominations for their roles in the 1960 film adaptation of The Entertainer.
Plowright also made her debut in the United States that year when she won a Tony Award for her portrayal in Broadway’s A Taste of Honey.
Her other honors included a 1978 Society of West End Theatre Award for Filumena, later renamed the Olivier Awards in honor of her husband.
She received another BAFTA nomination in the same year for her performance with Richard Burton in the film Equus.
