Oscar-winning actress and former UK politician Glenda Jackson passed away following a brief illness on June 15, 2023, at age 87 in Blackheath, London, United Kingdom.
Glenda was born on May 9, 1936 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England to Harry Jackson and Joan Jackson.
The first of four daughters, Glenda was educated at Holy Trinity Church of England and Cathcart Street primary schools, followed by West Kirby County Grammar School for Girls in nearby West Kirby, and performed in the Townswomen’s Guild drama group in her teens.
Glenda Jackson then joined an amateur theater group as a teenager before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1954.
Following graduating, Glenda starred on London’s West End and made her Broadway debut in 1965 in a production of “Marat/Sade.”
She gained worldwide attention in the 1970s, winning Oscars for Women In Love and A Touch of Class. Her other film credit includes Stevie (1978), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), Elizabeth R (1971), Nasty Habits (1977), The Patricia Neal Story (1981), King of the Wind (1990), The Secret Life of Arnold Bax (1992), et al.
Glenda was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1978.
In 1992, she switched to politics, becoming a Labour MP while the party was in opposition. She was an MP for 23 years, during which her party came to power in a landslide under former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
After stepping down as an MP in 2015, Glenda returned to TV screens in 2019 production Elizabeth Is Missing, in which she portrayed an elderly woman suffering from the early stages of dementia and won a Bafta for the role in 2020.
A couple of weeks ago, she finished filming for the upcoming film The Great Escaper.
Glenda Jackson was married to stage director Roy Hodges from 1958 to 1976. She is survived by their son, Daniel Hodges, who was born in 1969.
Her funeral arrangements are yet to be announced by the family.