Glenda Jackson, Oscar-winning actress and former Labour MP, dies aged 87

Jun 15, 2023

Glenda Jackson, the Oscar-winning actress and former Labour MP, has died at the age of 87.

In a statement, her agent Lionel Larner said: “Glenda Jackson, two-time Academy Award-winning actress and politician, died peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London, this morning after a brief illness with her family at her side.

“She recently completed filming ‘The Great Escaper’ in which she co-starred with Michael Caine.”

Jackson won the Oscar for best actress in 1970 for Women In Love and again three years later for A Touch Of Class – although chose not to attend the Hollywood ceremony on either occasion.

Despite her successful career in entertainment – she also won two Emmy Awards and a Tony – she said she never had any interest in the social and glamorous aspects of the industry, and devoted herself to politics in the 1990s.

Jackson was elected as the Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 1992 and served as a junior transport minister from 1997 to 1999 when Sir Tony Blair was prime minister.

However, a return to acting – and awards – came after she stood down as an MP at the 2015 general election. In 2019 she starred as a woman suffering from dementia in Elizabeth Is Missing, and won a TV BAFTA for best actress the following year.

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Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for what is now the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency, is among those paying tribute following Jackson’s death.

“Devastated to hear that my predecessor Glenda Jackson has died,” she wrote on Twitter. “A formidable politician, an amazing actress and a very supportive mentor to me. Hampstead and Kilburn will miss you Glenda.”

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