In what turned out to be her final film role, the world said a heartbreaking farewell to iconic actress Glenda Jackson, who died aged eighty-seven. Renowned for her exceptional talent on stage and screen, the two-time Oscar-winning actress also made significant inroads into the realm of British politics as a Labor MP. Her death came just weeks after she finished filming her role in the film alongside the venerable Sir Michael Caine. Jackson’s agent confirmed that she died peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London, after a short illness.
Glenda Jackson’s career spanned the realms of cinema, politics, and theatre, earning her the recognition and admiration of a wide range of audiences and peers. In her multi-faceted journey through life, she has excelled in various roles, each characterized by her unwavering commitment and undeniable talent.
Jackson had a very lucrative film career but took a sabbatical from acting in 1992 to devote more than 20 years of her life to serving in Parliament. Jackson was due to appear in the upcoming film The Great Escaper, which also stars Sir Michael Caine, the 90-year-old actor before she died unexpectedly.
On the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France in 1944, when the British and Americans joined forces to fight Adolf Hitler, Caine played an elderly Bernard Jordan who managed to escape from his nursing home.
In 2015, Jackson left her position as a Member of Parliament. She decided to return to her acting roots and pursue a TV role in the 2019 production of Elizabeth Is Missing rather than vanish into thin air. In the play, Jackson portrayed an elderly woman who was experiencing the early stages of dementia.
When actor Glendy Jackson revealed the news of her death, celebrities and politicians from all walks of life paid tribute to her on social media. Jackson’s untimely death, according to Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, “leaves a void in our cultural and political life that can never be filled”.
Jackson starred in the critically acclaimed and Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Three Tall Women following her production of Elizabeth Is Missing. Jackson’s portrayal was hailed by The New York Times as “a casting coup… Politically and personally, he epitomizes that he won’t go soft until good night.”
A year later, at the age of 82, she returned to the stage in New York with a production of King Lear, in which she played the female lead. The Guardian praised her performance as “thrilling”.
Jackson won two Academy Awards during her acting career. She won her first award for her role in the 1970 romantic drama Women In Love, in which she shared the screen with Alan Bates and Oliver Reed. Her performance in the 1973 British romantic comedy A Touch Of Class earned her a second Academy Award.
For the last fifteen years of her life, Jackson lived in a basement flat under the home of her son Dan Hodges, a journalist for the Mail on Sunday. She shared Roy Hodges, her husband, and Dan. Hodges and Jackson married in 1958 after meeting while both were employed at Butlin’s summer camps. In 1976, after several years of marriage, the couple filed for divorce.
When Jackson’s agent Lionel Larner announced her death, he shared this news with a sense of loss and respect: “Glenda Jackson, two-time Academy Award-winning actress and politician, passed away peacefully this morning at her home in Blackheath, London. a short illness with his family by his side. She recently finished filming The Great Escaper, in which she co-starred with Michael Caine.”
The world has said goodbye to an extraordinary talent, a pioneer in both art and politics. Glenda Jackson’s legacy will live on through her indelible contribution to the world of entertainment and her unwavering commitment to public service. Her journey serves as an inspiration, reminding us that one can move through different worlds and leave an indelible mark in each of them, embodying the spirit of resilience, dedication, and limitless creativity.