R.I.P Glenda Jackson

[Oztalgian 3,298]

Two-time Academy Award winning actress Glenda Jackson has died aged 87. She was elected to parliament as a Labour MP in 1992 until she resigned in 2015 and returned to the stage aged 82 to play in King Lear. If not for her strident opposition to the Iraq war she may well have gone on to more important roles in parliament.

Despite all her accomplished roles I remember her most for her appearances alongside Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise particularly as Cleopatra. How she played that with a straight face I will never know.

[Cliff Ton 10,468]

She also had a local connection - sort of. 

 

She starred in Ken Russell's film of Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

Brilliant actress and I'll never forget her telling the story about filming Elizabeth R at the BBC.  She was ordered out of the BBC car park and told she couldn't park there one morning when she turned up for filming. Basically, she wasn't important enough!

[philmayfield 6,144]

I saw ‘Women in Love’. There was a rather racy scene where I had to avert my gaze as I remember!

[letsavagoo 963]

I met her once in the mid 1980’s when I was outside the guildhall at about 11pm one evening. She was appearing at the Theatre Royal or playhouse and was absolutely drunk as a Lord. She could barely walk. I took her on my arm towards the Victoria Hotel where she managed to tell me she was staying but before I got there some other ‘lovey’, an rather effeminate man who she clearly knew took over. Quite by coincidence I got out my Women in Love DVD a few nights ago to watch as I’ve been reading DH Lawrence’s Rainbow and it put it in mind. I admired her greatly as an actress. Sad news.