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The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her role in the movie Shirley Valentine, has died at the eighty-five years old.

She died peacefully in her London care home, surrounded by her loved ones after living with Parkinson's disease for a number of years, according to her relatives.

Her legacy will be defined for her depiction of disgruntled housewife Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's acclaimed motion picture, based on the celebrated stage play by Willy Russell.

Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe for outstanding actress as well as a BAFTA award.

'Sparkling Personality'

Her relatives said in a statement: "Pauline was so many things to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on theater and film. Her illustrious career saw her portray leaders, parents, and royalty."

"She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We were familiar with all those aspects of her personality because her charm was embedded in each one of them."

The statement continued she was their "loving mum, our beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and her husband John Alderton's "eternal partner"

"Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was constantly supportive," they said, thanking her carers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love"

"She experienced a calmer departure. We hope you will remember her at the peak of her career; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to reflect on life in her absence"

New York Theater

She initially performed the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for best actress.

A year later she reprised the role on the New York stage, where she earned several awards including a prestigious Tony award.

The film of the same name was launched shortly after.

Her other films included the 1991 film City of Joy with actor Patrick Swayze, filmed in Calcutta, which gained her international fame globally.

A native of Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near Liverpool and started out her career as a teacher.

Her love of the stage led her to take up acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a medical attendant in the Emergency Ward 10.

She featured in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, playing a fictional dancer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theater.

Following several theater parts, she employed her regional dialect to secure a part on the show The Liver Birds.

It was through acting that she met her husband John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.

Alderton and Collins starred alongside each other in a number of television and film roles, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.