Glenda Jackson, Oscar, Emmy & Tony Winner, Dies at 87

Glenda Jackson, one of England's most celebrated and admired actors of the stage and screen, died Thursday at her Blackheath, London, home at 87, The New York Times reports.

Her death was the result of a brief illness, and came immediately after she wrapped production on her final film, "The Great Escaper" with Michael Caine, 90.

Jackson was born into a working-class family on May 9, 1936, in Birkenhead near Liverpool, England.

After acting with a local theater group, she was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She began working in regional theater, making her stage debut in 1957, before a dry spell that challenged her devotion to the craft.

By 1961, she was working steadily, and made her film debut with an uncredited bit part in "This Sporting Life" (1963).

In 1964, Jackson's fortunes took a sharp turn with her casting in the play "Marat/Sade," which takes place in an asylum. A hit, it transferred to Broadway the following year, leading to her first Tony nomination. She also performed in the play in Paris, and recreated her role in a 1967 movie version, her credited film debut.

Following the films "Tell Me Lies: A Film About London" and "Negatives" (both 1968), Jackson's career took off with her performance in Ken Russell's "Women in Love," for which she won her first Oscar.

Jackson was one of the industry's most revered actors in this period, appearing in the films "The Music Lovers" (1971), "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1971), "The Boy Friend" (1971), "Mary Queen of Scots" (1971), "The Triple Echo" (1972), and "The Nelson Affair" (1973) in quick succession.

Also in 1973, she starred in the romantic comedy "A Touch of Class" opposite George Segal, which brought her a second Best Actress Oscar.

Other films include "The Devil Is a Woman" (1973), "The Maids" (1975), "The Romantic Englishwoman" (1975), "Hedda" (1975), "The Incredible Sarah" (1976) as legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt, "Nasty Habits" (1976), "House Calls" (1978), "Stevie" (1978), "The Class of Miss MacMichael" (1978), "Lost and Found" (1979), Robert Altman's "Health" (1980), "Hopscotch" (1980), "The Return of the Soldier" (1982), "Giro City" (1982), "Turtle Diary" (1985), "Beyond Therapy" (1987), "Business as Usual" (1988), "Salome's Last Dance" (1988), "The Rainbow" (1989), "Doombeach" (1989), and "King of the Wind" (1990).

In 1991, Jackson made the extraordinary decision to retire from acting, spending the next two decades as a Labour Party MP.

After she left politics, she made a triumphant return to Broadway in a revival of "Three Tall Women" (2018), for which she won the Tony. She also played the title role in a production of "King Lear" in London in 2016 and in her final Broadway run in 2019.

Upon her return to acting, Jackson made the films "Mothering Sunday" (2021) and the forthcoming "The Great Escaper."

Having worked extensively on TV from 1957, she gave her final performance in the medium following 27 years away in the dementia-themed drama "Elizabeth Is Missing" (2019), for which she won the BAFTA.

Jackson was wed to Roy Hodges from 1958 until their 1976 divorce. She is survived by her son, Dan Hodges, a newspaper columnist.