Dame Joan Plowright, one of Britain’s most celebrated stage and screen stars and the widow of Sir Laurence Olivier, has died at the age of 95.
Her career spanned 60 years included an Oscar nomination for the 1991 film Enchanted April.
She married Olivier in 1961 after starring opposite him as his daughter in The Entertainer, and became a leading member of the National Theatre, which he set up.
In a statement, her family said they were “so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being”.
Her family said: “It is with great sadness that the family of Dame Joan Plowright, the Lady Olivier, inform you that she passed away peacefully on January 16, 2025 surrounded by her family at Denville Hall at age 95.
“She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until blindness made her retire.
“She cherished her last ten years in Sussex with constant visits from friends and family, filled with much laughter and fond memories.”
They added: “She survived her many challenges with Plowright grit and courageous determination to make the best of them, and that she certainly did.
“Rest in peace, Joan…”
She had been retired for a decade, having lost her eyesight and been registered blind. (BBC)
