Rest in Peace, Oscar Winning Actress and Politician has Passed Away

Glenda Jackson won two Academy Awards during her acting career. Then, later in life she decided to switch careers and go into politics and became a member of parliament in the UK. More recently, she switched careers again and went back to acting.

Now, we have the sad news that Jackson has died. Her agent, Lionel Larner, released a statement explaining, “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.”

What the “brief illness” was has not been disclosed. She was 87 years old.

Larner also mentioned a recent project Jackson completed. He wrote, “She recently completed filming ‘The Great Escaper’ in which she co-starred with Michael Caine.”

Larner finished the statement by getting a little bit more personal. He shared, “Today we lost one of the world’s greatest actresses, and I have lost a best friend of over 50 years.”

Jackson studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She performed on stage before performing on screen. Her first professional stage production was “Marat/Sade” with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. Her work on stage earned her five Laurence Olivier Award nominations.

Turning her attention to the screen, she again earned awards for her acting ability. She won two Oscars and two Emmys.

In 1992, Jackson switched careers and entered politics. She once told the New York Post that at first “both sides of the house expected me to be an airhead or a diva.” She proved them wrong, and stayed in politics for 23 years until 2015.

After leaving politics, she returned to acting once again.

She was married once from from 1958 until 1976. Her marriage to Roy Hodges resulted in one child but ended in divorce. She is survived by her son, Daniel Pearce Jackson Hodges.

Watch the video below to learn more about Jackson’s life, career and unexpected death.

Rest in peace.