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Farewell to Pauline Collins, Beloved “Shirley Valentine” Star, Who Dies at 85
British actor Pauline Collins, celebrated for her Oscar-nominated role as the spirited, life-affirming Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the age of 85. Her family announced Thursday that Collins died peacefully this week at her care home in north London, having lived with Parkinson’s disease for several years.
In a heartfelt statement, her family reflected on Collins’ multifaceted life and career: “Pauline Collins was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen.”
Collins, who began her career in the 1960s, truly soared in her mid-40s with “Shirley Valentine.” She embodied the titular character, a witty yet discontented homemaker who embarks on a transformative trip to Greece. The 1989 film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, captured Shirley’s journey of self-discovery, famously proclaiming, “Sex for breakfast, sex for dinner, sex for tea and sex for supper.”
More than just a tale of womanhood and self-love, “Shirley Valentine” allowed Collins to defy age-related conventions in entertainment, including a memorable nude scene. “My only sorrow was that I wasn’t younger and thinner,” Collins, then 49, told The Times in 1989. “But if I were Jamie Lee Curtis, I wouldn’t have been right for the part.”
The film, co-starring Tom Conti as her Greek love interest and Alison Steadman as her friend, earned Collins her sole Academy Award nomination for leading actress. It also garnered an Oscar nomination for Patti Austin’s original song “The Girl Who Used to Be Me.”
Collins first brought Shirley Valentine to life in Willy Russell’s one-woman play in London, two years prior to the film. This led to her acclaimed Broadway debut in 1989, where she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She also received accolades at the Laurence Olivier Awards and a BAFTA for her film performance.
Beyond “Shirley Valentine,” Collins’ extensive career included dozens of television series such as “Upstairs, Downstairs,” “Forever Green,” “The Ambassador,” “Mount Pleasant,” and “Dickensian.” Her film credits include “City of Joy,” “Paradise Road,” and “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” where she shared the screen with stars like Patrick Swayze, Glenn Close, and Anthony Hopkins. Throughout her screen career, she remained dedicated to theater, appearing in productions like “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Cinderella.”
Born in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool by progressive parents. She recalled her father, a headmaster, as “one of the early feminists,” telling The Times in 1989, “He had three daughters and always offered us everything that a boy would have – education and stuff.”
Her parents shared domestic duties completely, a model she mirrored in her own marriage to “Upstairs, Downstairs” co-star John Alderton, whom she married in 1969. Alderton, 84, shared a touching tribute: Collins’ “greatest performance was as my wife and mother to our beautiful children.”
While Shirley Valentine found her romantic awakening on the Greek coast, Collins had a more unexpected real-life getaway: St. Petersburg, Florida.
“It’s amazing, people think when you’re on your own you’re going off to have wonderful sexual adventures. Here I am, on my own, going off to Disney World,” she once mused to The Times.
“What does that say about me?”
Pauline Collins leaves behind a legacy of vibrant performances and a remarkable ability to connect with audiences through her authentic and compelling portrayals. She will be dearly missed.