Joan Plowright
- In full:
- Dame Joan Anne Plowright
- Born:
- October 28, 1929, Brigg, Lincolnshire, England
- Died:
- January 16, 2025, Northwood, Greater London, England (aged 95)
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Laurence Olivier
- Subjects Of Study:
- “Nothing Like a Dame”
Joan Plowright (born October 28, 1929, Brigg, Lincolnshire, England—died January 16, 2025, Northwood, Greater London,England) was an English dramatic actress who was known for her versatility, and she found success on both the stage and screen.
Theater
Plowright received her dramatic training at the Laban Art of Movement Studio in Manchester and at the Old Vic Theatre School in London. She made her first appearances on stage in 1951, played with an Old Vic touring company in South Africa in 1952, and made her debut in London in The Duenna in 1954. She continued to perform on the London stage until 1958, when she made her first appearance in New York City. Plowright’s dual performances in two plays by Eugène Ionesco as both an old woman and a 17-year-old girl demonstrated her range and versatility as an actress and brought her wide critical acclaim.
Plowright’s most notable stage performances included those in A Taste of Honey (1960), for which she won a Tony Award for her portrayal of a pregnant teenager; Saint Joan (1963); and Saturday, Sunday, Monday (1973).
Film and TV
Plowright also performed on television and in numerous films. Her notable movie credits include Moby Dick (1956), Equus (1977), and The Dressmaker (1988). For her role as a haughty know-it-all in Enchanted April (1991), Plowright was nominated for a best supporting actress Academy Award. In 1992 she earned acclaim for the HBO TV movie Stalin, in which she portrayed Joseph Stalin’s mother-in-law. Plowright later played Mrs. Fairfax in Jane Eyre (1996). In 1999 she starred with Cher, Maggie Smith, and Judi Dench in Tea with Mussolini, set in Italy during the rise of fascism.
In 2005 Plowright starred as a lonely widow who befriends a young writer in Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005). Plowright’s later movies included the children’s movies Curious George (2006), for which she supplied the voice of Miss Plushbottom, and The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008). She later had a cameo in the thriller Knife Edge (2009), which was her last feature film. She subsequently retired from acting because of macular degeneration, which ultimately led to a loss of eyesight.
Personal life
From 1953 to 1960 Plowright was married to actor Roger Gage. In 1961 she wed Laurence Olivier, with whom she appeared in a number of projects, including the films The Entertainer (1960) and Three Sisters (1974). The couple was together until his death in 1989. They had three children.
Plowright was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2003 New Year’s Honours list. She later appeared with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Eileen Atkins in the documentary Nothing Like a Dame (2018; also called Tea with the Dames). Plowright’s memoir, And That’s Not All, was published in 2001.
