– Glenda Jackson, acclaimed actress and former politician, has passed away at 87
– She won two Oscars, two Emmys, a Tony, and a BAFTA in her career spanning seven decades
– Jackson took a break from acting in 1992 to serve as a Labour MP and Junior Transport Minister under Tony Blair
Glenda Jackson, the distinguished actress who won two Oscars, two Emmys, and a Tony award, and later transitioned to a career in politics, has died at the age of 87. In a statement, her agent Lionel Lerner told Deadline that she “died peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London… after a brief illness with her family at her side.” The specific cause of death was not disclosed.
Over a career spanning seven decades, Jackson won two Academy Awards for her performances in 1970’s Women in Love and 1973’s A Touch of Class, as well as two Emmys for portraying Elizabeth I in the 1971 BBC miniseries Elizabeth R. She received a Tony award for her role in the 2018 revival of Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women. In the UK, she won the BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role for 1971’s Sunday Bloody Sunday and the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for the 2019 TV-movie Elizabeth Is Missing—a role that also earned her the honor of TVLine’s Performer of the Week upon its stateside debut in January 2021.
Jackson paused her acting career in 1992 to pursue British politics. As a Labour Party member, she was elected as MP for Hampstead and Highgate in the 1992 general election and served as a Junior Transport Minister from 1997 to 1999 under Prime Minister Tony Blair. She retired from politics in 2015 and returned to acting in projects like Elizabeth Is Missing and the 2021 movie Mothering Sunday.
Most recently, she finished production on the upcoming film The Great Escaper, opposite Michael Caine, though a release date has not yet been announced.