Glenda Jackson, 87, Award-Winning Actress & Politician

Long before the age of having any film you want at your fingertips with a click of a remote – and longer still before flipping through new releases and classic films at your local video rental store – you had to wait to see older films in the movie theater on a re-release. 

Back around 1978 I caught a double bill of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” and the film “House Call.” The reason for the double bill – and if I am telling the truth the real reason I saw these films – was for the actor Walter Mattheu, who starred in both. But I took notice of a British actress who was starring with Mattheu. Her name was Glenda Jackson. She made an impression – and I was delighted when the two teamed up again in the 1980’s “Hopscotch”.

Glenda Jackson, who in the course of her long career won the ‘triple crown’ of acting with two Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, took her final taxi at the age of 87 on June 15, 2023.

Jackson was born in Birkenhead, England, in 1936. She began acting on the stage, appearing in repertory theater productions throughout the United Kingdom. In 1962, she made her film debut in the British drama “A Taste of Honey.”

Jackson’s breakthrough role came in the 1969 film “Women in Love.” She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a passionate and independent woman in love with two men. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress again in 1973 for her performance in the comedy “A Touch of Class.” Other film roles included This Sporting Life (1963); The Music Lovers (1971); Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971) Mary, Queen of Scots (1972); The Maids (1974); The Incredible Sarah (1976); House Calls (1978); Stevie (1978); The Class of Miss MacMichael (1978); Lost and Found, with George Segal (1979); Hopscotch (1980); Return of the Soldier (1982); Turtle Diary (1985); Business as Usual (1987); Beyond Therapy (1987); Salome’s Last Dance (1988); The Rainbow (1989); and The Secret Life of Sir Arnold Bax (1992).

Jackson continued her prolific work in film and television throughout her career. She won three Emmy Awards for her work in the television films “The Duchess of Duke Street” (1976), “The Slap” (1984), and “The Sea Wolf” (1993).

She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway play “A Touch of the Poet” (1975). She won praise as the neurotic Nina Leeds in O’Neill’s “Strange Interlude” in 1985, and took home a best-actress Tony for her role as “A” a woman over 90, facing her mortality, in Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women” in 2018. Jackson astounded many in the theater when she, in a bold move, took on the role of “King Lear” in 2016.

Jackson was a versatile actress who was equally comfortable in dramatic and comedic roles. A powerful and passionate performer, she brought her characters to life with intelligence, wit, and emotion. She will be remembered as one of the great actresses of her generation.

In addition to her film and television work, Jackson was also a successful politician. She served as a Labour Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Highgate from 1992 to 2010. She was a vocal advocate for social justice and equality.

In 2019 she won a BAFTA award after returning to TV to play an elderly grandmother struggling with dementia in the drama ‘Elizabeth Is Missing.”

Even after her final curtain call, devotees of Glenda Jackson can enjoy an upcoming yet-to-be-released work.  Ms. Jackson had just finished working with actor Michael Caine in film called “The Great Escaper,” about an aging World War II veteran who escapes from his nursing home to attend the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France. It will be great to appreciate the work of this actress in a brand-new release – in addition to all her movies available at the touch of a button.

– Jeff Burson – Writer
– Lesa Rosato Burson – Editor