Oscar-winning actress and politician Glenda Jackson dies at the age of 87

Oscar-winning actress and politician Glenda Jackson has passed away at the age of 87. Her agent announced the news of her death in a press statement. Jackson gained recognition in the 1970s and received two Academy Awards for her performances in Women in Love and A Touch of Class. She was also nominated for two other Oscars throughout her career.

Lionel Larner, her agent, stated, “Glenda Jackson, the two-time Academy Award-winning actress and politician, peacefully passed away at her home in Blackheath, London this morning after a brief illness. She was surrounded by her family. She recently finished filming The Great Escaper alongside Michael Caine.”

In addition to her film work, Jackson is well-remembered for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC drama Elizabeth R. She made a career shift, leaving acting to join the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party, representing a constituency in north London. She served in this position from 1992 to 2015.

After her political career, Jackson returned to acting and received a BAFTA award for her comeback role in the TV drama Elizabeth Is Missing in 2020.

Glenda Jackson was born on May 9, 1936, in Birkenhead, a small port town in northwest England. At the age of 16, she began working at a chemist shop while pursuing her passion for drama during her free time. She earned a scholarship to the renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London at the age of 18. Jackson later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she worked from 1964 to 1968, collaborating with renowned director Peter Brook.

In addition to her two Academy Awards, Jackson received two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the successful 1971 BBC television series Elizabeth R. She also played the same monarch in the film Mary, Queen of Scots.

Throughout her political career, Jackson challenged the free-market capitalist policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which she believed were detrimental to British society. She was elected to represent the Hampstead and Highgate constituency in parliament in 1992, following Thatcher’s departure. Jackson served as a junior transport minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government from 1997 to 1999.