Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

and has been nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, an Emmy and two BAFTA Awards. She was the second of only four actresses (as of 2020) to have won two Golden Globes in the same year. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a New Play in 1978 for

Filumena ''Filumena Marturano'' (, ), sometime performed in English as ''The Best House in Naples'', is a play written in 1946 by Italian playwright, actor and poet Eduardo De Filippo. It is the basis for the 1950 Spanish language Argentine musical film ' ...

Early life

Plowright was born on 28 October 1929 in

Brigg Brigg ( /'brɪg/) is a market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in the 2001 UK census, the population increased to 5,626 at the 2011 census. The town lies at the junction of the River Ancholme and east–west tra ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, the daughter of Daisy Margaret ( née Burton) and William Ernest Plowright, who was a journalist and newspaper editor. She attended

Scunthorpe Grammar School The St Lawrence Academy (formerly High Ridge School) is a coeducational Church of England secondary school with academy status, in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The Academy teaches GCSEs and BTECs, and has specialisms in sports and ...

Star Pupils Revealed at Scunthorpe Telegraph
. Retrieved 9 July 2016 and trained at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

Career

Plowright made her stage debut at

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

in 1948 and her London debut in 1954. In 1956 she joined the

English Stage Company The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

and was cast as Margery Pinchwife in '' The Country Wife''. She appeared with

George Devine George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

in the Eugène Ionesco play, ''

The Chairs ''The Chairs'' (french: Les Chaises) is a one-act play by Eugène Ionesco, described as an absurdist "tragic farce". It was first performed in Paris in 1952. Setting A high tower surrounded by water. Characters *Old Man, aged 95 *Old Woman, a ...

'', Shaw's ''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'' and '' Saint Joan''. Angela Lansbury Joan Plowright A Taste of Honey Broadway

In 1957, Plowright co-starred with

Sir Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

in the original London production of John Osborne's '' The Entertainer'', taking over the role of Jean Rice from

Dorothy Tutin Dame Dorothy Tutin, (8 April 19306 August 2001) was an English actress of stage, film and television. For her work in the theatre, she won two Olivier Awards and two ''Evening Standard'' Awards for Best Actress. She was made a CBE in 1967 and ...

when the play transferred from the Royal Court to the Palace Theatre. She continued to appear on stage and in films such as '' The Entertainer'' (1960). In 1961, she received a

for her role in '' A Taste of Honey'' on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. Through her marriage to Laurence Olivier, she became closely associated with his work at the National Theatre from 1963 onwards. In the 1990s she began to appear more regularly in films, including '' Enchanted April'' (1992), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and an

nomination, '' Dennis the Menace'' (1993), a cameo in ''

Last Action Hero ''Last Action Hero'' is a 1993 American fantasy action comedy film directed and produced by John McTiernan and co-written by Shane Black and David Arnott. It is a satire of the action genre and associated clichés, containing several parodies ...

'' (also 1993), '' 101 Dalmatians'' (1996), playing Nanny, and ''

Tea With Mussolini ''Tea with Mussolini'' ( it, Un tè con Mussolini) is a 1999 Anglo-Italian semi-autobiographical comedy-drama war film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, scripted by John Mortimer, telling the story of a young Italian boy's upbringing by a circle ...

'' (1999). Among her television roles, she won another Golden Globe Award and earned an Emmy Award nomination for the HBO film ''

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

'' in 1992 as the Soviet dictator's mother-in-law. Her pair of 1992 performances (''Enchanted April'' and ''Stalin'') marked only the second time an actress (after

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...

, for performances in 1988) won two Golden Globes in the same year; as of the January 2020 presentation, only Helen Mirren ( for performances in 2006) and Kate Winslet ( for performances in 2008) have duplicated this feat. In 1994, she was awarded the Women in Film

Crystal Award The Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards—first presented in 1977 by the now–Los Angeles chapter of the Women in Film organization—were presented to honor women in communications and media. The awards include the Crystal Award, the Lucy Awar ...

. In 2003, Plowright performed in the stage production ''Absolutely! (Perhaps)'' in London. She was appointed honorary president of the English Stage Company in March 2009, succeeding John Mortimer, who died in January 2009. She was previously vice-president of the company. Plowright was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

1970 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1970 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the '' Lo ...

and was promoted to Dame Commander (DBE) in the

2004 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2004 were appointments by some of the Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

. Plowright's vision declined steadily during the late 2000s and early 2010s due to

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

. In 2014, she officially announced her retirement from acting because she had become completely blind.

Personal life

Plowright was first married to Roger Gage, an actor, in September 1953. She divorced him and, in 1961, married Laurence Olivier after the ending of his twenty-year marriage to the actress Vivien Leigh. The couple had three children, son Richard (born December 1961), daughter Tamsin Agnes Margaret (born January 1963) and daughter Julie-Kate (born July 1966). Both daughters became actresses. The couple remained married until Olivier's death in 1989. Her brother,

David Plowright David Ernest Plowright (11 December 1930 – 24 August 2006) was a British television executive and producer. Life Plowright was educated at Scunthorpe Grammar School. He began his career in journalism as a reporter on the ''Scunthorpe Sta ...

(1930–2006), was an executive at Granada Television.

Legacy

The

Plowright Theatre The Plowright Theatre, is a live entertainment venue on Laneham Street in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. It is owned and run by North Lincolnshire Council. It is the Sister Venue to the Baths Hall located on Doncaster Road in Scunthorpe. The P ...

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town and unparished area in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016. A ...

is named in Plowright's honour.

Styles

Upon her marriage she became Lady Olivier. In 1970, her husband Sir Laurence Olivier was made a life peer and Plowright became Lady Olivier ''of Brighton in the

County of Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

''. As the wife and widow of a life peer, she is entitled to be styled ''The Right Honourable The Dowager Lady Olivier'', and since 2004, “The Dowager Lady Olivier DBE”. In 2004 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), and is professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * *
Performances listed in Theatre Archive University of Bristol
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plowright, Joan 1929 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses awarded British damehoods Actresses from Lincolnshire Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (television) winners

Olivier Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to: * Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Olivier (surname), a list of people * Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery *Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popul ...

Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners People from Brigg Spouses of life peers Tony Award winners Wives of knights