Glenda Jackson: Oscar-Winning star of Women in Love and A Touch of Class passes away at 87

Glenda Jackson, whose illustrious career spanned from classic feature films like Sunday Bloody Sunday, Women in Love and A Touch of Class to a political career at the British Parliament, passed peacefully this morning at her home in London. She was 87 years old. Jackson has been said to have been battling an illness recently. Although she had transitioned from movies to civil service, the actress will appear in one last film project as she just wrapped her scenes opposite Sir Michael Caine in a movie titled The Great Escaper.

Jackson’s agent Lionel Larner released an official statement according to Variety. In the statement, Larner declares, ”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.” 

In addition to films, Glenda Jackson had gained acclaim for her work on stage in such productions as Hedda Gabler, Strange Interlude and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. In 1964, Jackson would join the Royal Shakespeare Company and worked for four years on a number of works with influential director Peter Brook, which had included Peter Weiss’ Marat/Sade in 1965. They would also take this production into performances in Paris and on Broadway.

1970’s Women in Love broke Jackson through as an arthouse sex symbol, and she became a prominent figure in the sexual revolution of the decade. Her Gudrun Brangwen was a rich and layered character who had paraded a confidence and self-assurance that made her a stronger interpretation of what female sex symbols were viewed as around that time. The film was revolutionary with her refusal to be submissive and displayed a woman who would fight for her desires. The movie would come from director Ken Russell, producer/writer Larry Kramer and novelist D.H. Lawrence.

In the 90s, Jackson ran on a Labour Party ticket for MP (Member of Parliament), representing Hampstead and Highgate. She had won and would remain an MP for more than 20 years. Jackson would famously clash with Prime Minister Tony Blair over his education plans and over the Iraq war. In October 2006, she was one of 12 Labour MPs to call for an inquiry into the war. Jackson gave a passionate speech in parliament at the time of Margret Thatcher’s passing in 2013, accusing Thatcher of treating “vices as virtues” and stated that Thatcher’s policies created decades of unemployment and homelessness.