The Oscar-nominated British star Joan Plowright, who was the widow of the late great actor Lawrence Olivier, passed away on Thursday. She was 95 years-old.

Plowright Passes Away

Plowright’s family confirmed to The Associated Press that the actress died at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors that is located in southern England. At the time of her passing, she was surrounded by her loved ones.

“She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until blindness made her retire,” Plowright’s family said. “We are so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being.”

Plowright was a contemporary of an iconic generation of female actors. These stars included Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins, and Maggie Smith. During her esteemed career, Plowright won a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and nominations for an Oscar and an Emmy. In 2004, she was even made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II.

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Plowright’s History

Born in Brigg, Lincolnshire, England in 1929, Plowright became involved in theater at the age of 3. She fell in love with the craft of acting immediately. Soon, she began spending her school vacations studying at university drama schools. Once she graduated from high school, Plowright studied at the Laban Art of Movement Studio in Manchester before winning a two-year scholarship to the drama school at the esteemed Old Vic Theatre in London.

Plowright made her debut on the London stage in 1954. Two years later, she became a member of the Royal Court Theatre.

Plowright made her film debut in 1956 with an uncredited role in the John Huston-directed movie Moby Dick, which starred Gregory Peck. The next year, she met her future husband, the legendary Lawrence Olivier, in the original London production of The Entertainer. They married in 1961, and remained married until Olivier died in 1989.

The love between Olivier and Plowright was truly one for the ages. In one letter to Plowright, Olivier wrote, “I sometimes feel such a peacefulness come over me when I think of you, or write to you — a gentle tenderness and serenity. A feeling devoid of all violence, passion or shattering longing… it makes me go out into the street with a smile on my face and in my heart for everybody.”

How beautiful is that?!

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Plowright’s Career Resurgence

After Olivier’s death, Plowright had a career resurgence. This culminated in her being nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the 1992 film Enchanted April. Plowright had been a favorite to win the award, so it came as a shock when she lost out to Marissa Tomei for her comedic turn in My Cousin Vinny.

Even so, Plowright continued to love acting for the rest of her life. She amassed 77 film and television credits throughout her life, with her final role coming in the 2009 movie Knife Edge.

“I’ve been very privileged to have such a life,” Plowright told The Actor’s Work in 2010. “I mean it’s magic and I still feel, when a curtain goes up or the lights come on if there’s no curtain, the magic of a beginning of what is going to unfold in front of me.”

Plowright is survived by the three children she shared with Olivier. All of them followed in their parents footsteps and became actors.

Rest in peace, Joan Plowright.

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