Joan Plowright, Acting Legend of Stage and Screen and Laurence Olivier’s Widow, Dies at 95

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In the realm of Anglophone acting during the 20th century, I had the honor to be a part of it, and I was Joan Plowright – a name synonymous with greatness. Last Thursday, at the age of 95, I took my final bow. My beloved husband, Laurence Oliver, left this world before me, but our legacy continues on.

In her own country, England, and on both stage and screen, Plowright established herself as a notable actress, even earning a Tony award for “A Taste of Honey.” However, she decided to retire in 2014 after experiencing loss of sight due to macular degeneration.

I am deeply saddened to share the news that the legendary Dame Joan Plowright, also known as Lady Olivier, passed away peacefully on January 16th, 2025. She was 95 and surrounded by her beloved family at Denville Hall. Over seven decades, she graced the stages of theatre, big screens in films, and our TV screens, leaving an indelible mark with her extraordinary talent.

Blindness eventually led her to retire, but her last decade in Sussex was far from a retirement. It was a beautiful chapter filled with endless visits from friends and family, countless moments of laughter, and memories we will cherish forever. I am truly grateful to Jean Wilson and all those who cared for her so tenderly over the years. Rest in peace, Dame Joan Plowright. Your light continues to shine brightly in our hearts.

In 1991, I was honored with an Oscar nomination for my role in “Enchanted April,” a movie directed by Mike Newell that also earned me a Golden Globe. The film revolves around four diverse Englishwomen who share an Italian villa. According to The New York Times, my portrayal of Mrs. Fisher, a humorous yet commanding older woman who unexpectedly becomes the roommate of Rose and Lottie, was delivered with great impact, as I casually dropped the names of literary giants I had met through my father’s connections.

Joan Plowright had quite a knack for comedy: She shone in Lawrence Kasdan’s dark comedy “I Love You to Death,” where she portrayed the mother of Tracy Ullman’s character. Her character was married to a pizzeria owner (Kevin Kline) who had been unfaithful, and her mother even suggested having him killed – leading to much laughter. Roger Ebert commented that Plowright, despite seeming an unusual pick for the role, delivered the movie’s most memorable laugh in a scene at her bedside.

Besides films, this actress had a notable career on TV as well. In 1993, she received an Emmy nomination for her outstanding performance in the HBO movie “Stalin,” which co-starred Robert Duvall.

Despite primarily being a stage actress, Plowright also had significant roles in several movies. These films include “Enchanted April”, “I Love You to Death”, “Tea With Mussolini”, Barry Levinson’s “Avalon”, the Irish comedy “Widows’ Peak”, and more recently, “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont”.

Or,

Plowright was primarily a stage actress, but she also made her mark in various feature films. These included “Enchanted April” and “I Love You to Death”, as well as “Tea With Mussolini”, Barry Levinson’s “Avalon”, the Irish comedy “Widows’ Peak”, and most recently, “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont”.

Initially gaining recognition beyond the English theater scene, Plowright made a significant impact through her role in Tony Richardson’s 1960 film “The Entertainer,” an adaptation of John Osborne’s play and showcasing a remarkable performance by Olivier as a troubled dance hall performer. For her part in this film, she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for most promising newcomer. Interestingly, an affair between Plowright and Olivier began during their stage production before the film, which prematurely ended his 20-year marriage to the talented but mentally ill actress Vivien Leigh. Notably, Plowright was already married when the affair started, ultimately leading her to become Olivier’s third wife – Lady Olivier – in March 1961.

To avoid the uproar caused by their divorce with Leigh, Olivier and Plowright journeyed to New York City, where he starred in “Becket”, and she performed in Shelagh Delaney’s “A Taste of Honey”. In this production, she earned a Tony for her exceptional portrayal as the best actress in a play.

Joan Ann Plowright was born in Brigg, Lincolnshire.

As a child, she acted in local theater productions and won an award for amateur theater at the age of 15. After completing high school, she attended the Laban Art of Movement Studio. At the age of 19, she made her professional stage debut in a play titled “If Four Walls Could Talk.” Subsequently, she was awarded a two-year scholarship to study at the esteemed Old Vic Theatre School in London. In 1954, she made her London stage debut and eventually became a member of the Royal Court Theatre, where she appeared in notable productions like “The Crucible,” Ionesco’s “The Chairs,” Shaw’s “Major Barbara” and “Saint Joan.” During the performance of “The Country Wife,” Olivier first spotted Plowright and was immediately captivated.

Over time, Plowright came to work alongside Olivier at the National Theatre, a place he established in the 1960s. At the National, she graced the stage in productions such as “St. Joan,” “Uncle Vanya,” “The Three Sisters,” “Tartuffe,” “Back to Methuselah,” “The Advertisement,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” “The Merchant of Venice” and “A Woman Killed With Kindness,” among others. Later, she headlined in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” during 1981-82, followed by performances in “The Cherry Orchard,” “The Way of the World,” “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” “The House of Bernarda Alba,” “Time and the Conways,” and more.

Since as early as 1951, she made her debut on British television, featuring in the series “Sara Crewe.” Additionally, she was part of a 1954 adaptation of “The Comedy of Errors” for “BBC Sunday-Night Theatre,” and starred in a 1959 production of Richard B. Sheridan’s play “School for Scandal” on the BBC program “World Theatre.”

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Back in 1951, she graced British television screens in the series “Sara Crewe.” She also took part in a 1954 adaptation of “The Comedy of Errors” for “BBC Sunday-Night Theatre,” and in 1959, starred in the BBC program “World Theatre’s” production of Richard B. Sheridan’s play “School for Scandal.

In 1957, the actress first appeared on the big screen in the Joseph Losey-directed thriller “Time Without Pity,” alongside Michael Redgrave and Ann Todd. Later, following her role in “The Entertainer” in 1960, she played Sonya in a 1963 film adaption of “Uncle Vanya.” This production also featured Michael Redgrave, with Laurence Olivier portraying Dr. Astrov.

Over a significant stretch of time, the actress balanced her days between sporadic acting roles and caring for her three children fathered by Olivier. At the age of 60, she threw herself back into her career with renewed vigor.

In 1970, I had the privilege of portraying Masha under the guidance of director Olivier in his film adaptation of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters.” A year later, I shared the screen with this esteemed director again in a television production of “The Merchant of Venice” (1973).

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I was fortunate to step into Masha’s shoes for Olivier’s film adaptation of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” in 1970. In 1973, I had the honor of working alongside Olivier once more, this time on a television rendition of “The Merchant of Venice.

In 1977, Helen Mirren portrayed the mother of a troubled character in the film adaptation of “Equus,” alongside Richard Burton. This performance earned her her first nomination for a BAFTA Award. That same year, she also starred in a television adaptation of Eduardo de Filippo’s play “Saturday, Sunday, Monday” on Granada Television. In this production, she played the role of Olivier’s daughter-in-law, who was instrumental in preparing the Sunday meal that was pivotal to the weekend events, with Olivier portraying the family patriarch.

The actress appeared as Mrs. Frank opposite Maximilian Schell in a 1980 NBC version of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” portrayed Lady Bracknell in a 1986 BBC rendition of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and acted alongside Robert Guillaume in a 1992 TV film adaptation of “Driving Miss Daisy.

In Richard Loncraine’s 1982 film “Brimstone and Treacle,” Plowright portrayed a naive mother, with Denholm Elliott playing her husband. This mother was targeted by the villainous character played by Sting. Plowright also appeared in Hugh Hudson’s 1983 film “Revolution,” alongside Al Pacino. In this movie, she took on the role of the mother of Nastassja Kinski’s character, but the film itself was generally considered a disappointment.

1988 saw her acting alongside Juliet Stevenson and Joely Richardson in director Peter Greenaway’s film “Drowning by Numbers.” Although the movie was somewhat enigmatic, The Washington Post praised Plowright for her “wryly wonderful” performance. The following year, she teamed up with Billie Whitelaw in “The Dressmaker,” portraying a character named Nellie who is irate about societal changes taking place during WWII in Liverpool, under American influence. The New York Times commented that Plowright’s portrayal of Nellie was marked by an “aristocratic aloofness,” yet it didn’t stop her character from being adaptable when the circumstances called for it.

In “Avalon” (1990) by Levinson, she embodied the role of the matriarch within a substantial Russian-Jewish family in Baltimore, frequently engaging in amusing disagreements with her husband, portrayed by Armin Mueller-Stahl, as the Times described. In “Widows’ Peak,” set post-World War I in a quaint Irish town, she assumed the character of a dowager who held sway over a considerable number of women left widowed by the conflict.

For her grandchildren’s delight, she starred as Mrs. Wilson in the 1993 film adaptation of “Dennis the Menace,” opposite Walter Matthau, and as Nanny in the 1996 live-action version of “101 Dalmations” that centered around Glenn Close’s portrayal of Cruella De Vil. In 2008, she appeared as Aunt Lucinda in “The Spiderwick Chronicles.” (Critic Roger Ebert particularly appreciated the film for its acting, especially Joan Plowright’s performance.)

As I stepped into my mid-sixties during the ’90s, I found that screen roles became progressively smaller and less engaging. I was content playing Mrs. Fairfax in Zeffirelli’s 1996 interpretation of “Jane Eyre,” but the character wasn’t particularly dynamic. In the film “Surviving Picasso,” opposite Anthony Hopkins, I portrayed the grandmother of the artist’s mistress, a role that didn’t offer much depth.

In the late 1990s, the actress got a main role in NBC’s “Encore! Encore!,” where Nathan Lane played an ex-opera star returning to his family vineyard, with her portraying his mother. However, the show’s lifespan was limited.

In 1999, the actress collaborated with Zeffirelli once more, featuring alongside Cher, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Lily Tomlin in the semi-autobiographical film “Tea With Mussolini,” co-written by the director. The story revolved around his childhood experiences, where an elderly British woman (Plowright) served as his closest companion, residing in Florence during the 1930s and raising him to embody a quintessential English gentleman. She also played a supporting role in Zeffirelli’s unconventional tribute to his friend Maria Callas, “Callas Forever,” released in 2002, with Fanny Ardant as the lead star.

2003 saw Plowright stepping into a secondary character in the movie “Bringing Down the House,” starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, which was known for its uncomfortable racial and sexual dynamics.

In 2006, when the actress was 77 years old, she appeared in a heartwarming yet slightly melodramatic film titled “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont.” This movie catered to an older audience and centered around a woman who yearned for autonomy, finding herself amidst a London hotel inhabited by peculiar seniors.

or, more concisely:

In 2006, when she was 77, the actress starred in a heartwarming yet melodramatic film called “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont,” which revolved around an independent-minded woman amidst a London hotel full of eccentric seniors.

In 1958, she first performed on Broadway, gracing the stage in Ionesco’s plays “The Chairs and the Lesson,” under the direction of Tony Richardson. That same year, she also shared the spotlight with Olivier on Rialto, as they both appeared in a transfer of “The Entertainer.” Fast forward to 1980, she was back on Broadway, this time working alongside Frank Finlay in “Filumena,” an original production by Franco Zeffirelli, who was directed by Olivier.

Herbert Kretzmer’s book, “Snapshots: Encounters With Twentieth Century Icons,” features a quote from Plowright.

In this rephrased version, the focus is on the content of the book and the fact that it contains a quote from Plowright, rather than the title or author being the first elements mentioned.

People outside of the theater often view actors as sentimental individuals who engage in acting as a charming pastime, unaware of the tremendous discipline required for this profession. In reality, actors are more disciplined than most, having been taught early on to leave personal struggles at the stage door, setting aside all personal aches, pains, and domestic issues.

Olivier passed away in the year 1989. His brother, David, a high-ranking executive at Granada Television, also departed in the year 2006.

Plowright was married to actor Roger Gage from 1953 to 1960. She divorced him to marry Olivier.

She leaves behind her son, the actor-director Richard Olivier, along with her two actress daughters, Tamsin Olivier and Julie Kate Olivier, in addition to several grandchildren.

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2025-01-17 13:17