Glenda Jackson, a two-time Oscar-winning actress who blended her entertainment industry life with politics, died at 87 on June 15, 2023, prompting a stream of heartfelt condolences and messages for the British lawmaker.
Sir Michael Caine spoke out about the death of the beloved star and former MP, considering her "one of our greatest movie actresses." Jackson won two Oscars, three Emmys, two Baftas, and a Tony throughout her acting career that spanned six decades.
The Life of Glenda Jackson
On the other hand, Sir Jonathan Pryce said that he believed that Jackson was "the greatest actor that this country has ever produced." The two-time Oscar winner hung her acting career to join the House of Commons as a Labour MP in north London from 1992 to 2015.
That time frame includes two years when Jackson served as a junior transport minister in Tony Blair's New Labour government starting in 1997. The actor-turned-politician then returned to the entertainment industry, playing the role of King Lear on stage in 2016, as per BBC.
On Thursday, Jackson's agent, Lionel Larner, said that the actress and politician died peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London. She briefly battled against an illness but came to rest with her family at her side.
Larner said that Jackson recently completed filming "The Great Escape," where she co-stars with Caine, who she first started acting in 1975. The latter said that reuniting with Jackson was a wonderful experience similar to how it was five decades ago.
From across the world, fans and the public expressed their tributes to the late Jackson, including Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who now sits in the seat left vacant by the recently deceased. In a Twitter post, Siddiq said that she was devastated to hear about the passing of her predecessor.
Siddiq called Jackson a formidable politician, an amazing actress, and a very supportive mentor to her, adding that Hampstead and Kilburn will surely miss Jackson. On the other hand, Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell recalled the actress/politician's "cutting humor" and "general disdain at most things."
A Mix of Acting and Politics
The late actress was in three major films and a BBC TV drama in 1971, and at the time, she embodied glacial hauteur and loneliness, playing the role of Elizabeth I in Mary, Queen of Scots. According to The Guardian, Jackson won her first Oscar for "Women in Love," which gave her a new range of opportunities.
Her second Oscar win was for "A Touch of Class," where she starred alongside George Seagal, propelling her into a mainstream Hollywood star. Following her acting career, she spent 23 years as a member of the Labour Party of the British Parliament.
Jackson was known not to be given to self-analysis, nor was she vocal about the details of her craft. The actress' life outside of her work was simple, she said, and was all about a grandmother who did her grocery shopping and cleaning in a basement apartment, said the New York Times.
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