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British Actress Dame Joan Plowright, Widow of Laurence Olivier, Dies at 95

Jan 17, 2025, 12:38 PM

Dame Joan Plowright, the celebrated British actress and recipient of a damehood, died on Thursday at the age of 95, her family announced. Married to Sir Laurence Olivier in 1961, she helped revitalize British theatre in the decades following World War II. A Tony Award winner and two-time Golden Globe recipient in the same year, Plowright was nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy during her illustrious seven-decade career. Notable for her roles in productions such as "Equus", "Enchanted April", "Tea with Mussolini", "101 Dalmatians", and "Dennis the Menace", Plowright was considered one of Britain's most acclaimed actresses. In her later years, she retired from acting due to loss of her eyesight. Theatres across London's West End will dim their lights for two minutes at 7 p.m. on January 21st in her memory. Her family said, "We are so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being."