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Jackson was an acclaimed actress before turning to politics.
CNN –
Two-time Oscar-winning actress and former British politician Glenda Jackson has died peacefully at the age of 87 after a short illness.
“Glenda Jackson, two-time Oscar-winning actress and politician, 87, died peacefully at her home in London this morning, surrounded by her family, after a short illness,” her agent Lionel Larner confirmed to CNN on Thursday.
“She recently wrapped up ‘The Great Escaper,’ which she co-starred with Michael Caine.”
Larner also added a personal comment on his relationship with Jackson: “Today we lost one of the greatest actresses in the world and I lost a best friend of over 50 years,” he said.
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She received her first Oscar for best actress in 1969 for the film “Women in Love”.
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Jackson turned away from acting in 1992 to pursue a 23-year political career.
Born in 1936 in the north-west town of Birkenhead, England, Jackson joined an amateur theater company as a teenager before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
After graduating, she starred in London’s West End and made her Broadway debut in a 1965 production of Marat/Sade.
The screen followed. She won her first Best Actress Oscar for her role opposite Oliver Reed in the 1969 period drama Women in Love.
Her second followed shortly thereafter in the 1973 romantic comedy A Touch of Class – two years after her notable portrayals of Queen Elizabeth I in both the BBC biographical film Elizabeth R and period drama Mary, Queen of Scots”.
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Glenda Jackson played the character of Vicki Allessio in the 1973 film A Touch of Class, for which she won another Oscar.
In 1992 she turned to politics and became a Labor MP while the party was in opposition. She was an MP for 23 years during which her party landslide to power under Tony Blair.
During this time, Jackson was appointed Junior Secretary of Transportation in 1997, a position he held for two years. In 2000 she ran for Mayor of London but was defeated by independent candidate Ken Livingstone.
She never attained high-ranking positions in politics, but became known for her fearlessness.
Jackson fell out with Blair when he led Britain to the war in Iraq and was a bitter opponent of former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who memorably criticized her on the day of her funeral in 2013.
“The first female prime minister, ok. But a woman? Not on my terms,” she said.
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Jackson received a 2018 Tony Award for her starring role in Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women.
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She recently wrapped up filming on The Great Escaper, which is currently in post-production.
The movie star returned to the stage in 2016 with a starring role in a West End production of King Lear. Jackson received further accolades when she won a Tony Award in 2018 for her performance in the Broadway production of Three Tall Women.
According to IMDb, her latest feature film The Great Escaper is in post-production.
Actor Michael Warburton, who most recently starred in the Netflix thriller The Strays, said in one tweet“She really was an extremely talented, intelligent and charismatic actress.”
British former professional boxer Frank Bruno am Twitter shared a fond memory he had of the actor, writing, “RIP Glenda Jackson I remember when I was introduced to her she said ‘I understand you make a living fighting people.’ I said, “You’re a respected actress.” “Boxing is just show business with blood.” “She was a nice woman.”
Tulip Siddiq, Labor MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, UK tweeted: “Devastated to hear that my predecessor Glenda Jackson has passed away. An amazing politician, a great actress and a very supportive mentor to me. Hampstead and Kilburn will miss you Glenda.”