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PA MediaDame Joan Plowright, one of Britain’s most famous actresses and the widow of Sir Laurence Olivier, has died aged 95.
His career spanned 60 years and 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 founded.
In a statement, her family said they were “proud of everything Joan accomplished and of the loving and inclusive person she was”.
PA Media‘Grit is courage’
Her family said: “It is with great sadness that the family of Dame Joan Plowright, Lady Olivier, have to inform you that she passed away peacefully on January 16 2025 surrounded by her family at Denville Hall aged 95.
“He enjoyed a long and distinguished career in theatre, film and television spanning seven decades until his blindness forced him to retire.
“He enjoyed his last 10 years in Sussex with visits from friends and family, full of laughter and fond memories.”
He added: “He overcame many of his challenges with Plowright grit and determination to excel, and he did.
“Rest in peace Joan…”
Born in Scunthorpe, Plowright became a leading lady in London’s West End in the 1950s, and made her debut opposite Olivier in John Osborne’s The Entertainer at the Royal Court in 1957.
He was still married to Gone With The Wind star Vivien Leigh at the time, and Plowright was married to her first husband Roger Gage.
Plowright and Olivier fell in love, and their acting partnership earned them both a Bafta nomination for The Entertainer, released in 1960.
That year, Plowright also had a US success in A Taste of Honey on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for his performance.
Her other awards included the Society of West End Theater Awards – later renamed the Olivier Awards after her husband – in 1978 for Filumena.
He also received a Bafta nomination the same year for his performance in the film Equus alongside Richard Burton.
Nothing Like a Dame
In 2014, he retired from the stage – after losing his sight and being registered as blind.
Dame Joan was one of a generation of sportswomen, and in recent years she has been seen fondly remembered and enjoyed by Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins. 2018 BBC documentary Nothing Like A Dame.
In a video of the show, which has gone viral online, a slightly disgusted Dame Maggie is seen telling Dame Judi that she “gets asked all the time” when roles are offered.
The exchange was initially missed by Dame Joan because one of her hearing aids fell off, but she joined in on the joke, telling a similar story. He was later given a hearing aid by the deceased Dame Maggie, who died in September 2024.
