The Lady Olivier

Plowright in 1958
Born
Joan Ann Plowright

(1929-10-28) 28 October 1929
Brigg, Lincolnshire, England
Alma materBristol Old Vic Theatre School
OccupationActress
Years active1948–2018
Spouses
  • Roger Gage
    (m. 1953; div. 1960)
  • (m. 1961; died 1989)
Children3
RelativesDavid Plowright (brother)

Joan Ann Plowright, Baroness Olivier, DBE[1] (born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career spanned over six decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy and two BAFTA Awards. She was the second of only four actresses (as of 2023) to have won two Golden Globes in the same year. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a New Play in 1978 for Filumena.

Early life

Plowright was born on 28 October 1929 in Brigg, Lincolnshire, the daughter of Daisy Margaret (née Burton) and William Ernest Plowright, who was a journalist and newspaper editor.[2][3] She attended Scunthorpe Grammar School[4] and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.[5]

Career

Plowright made her stage debut at Croydon in 1948[6] and her London debut in 1954. In 1956 she joined the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre and was cast as Margery Pinchwife in The Country Wife. She appeared with George Devine in the Eugène Ionesco play, The Chairs, Shaw's Major Barbara and Saint Joan.

Plowright as Jo (right) with Angela Lansbury as Helen (left) in the Broadway production of A Taste of Honey (1961)

In 1957, Plowright co-starred with Sir Laurence Olivier in the original London production of John Osborne's The Entertainer, taking over the role of Jean Rice from Dorothy Tutin when the play transferred from the Royal Court to the Palace Theatre. She continued to appear on stage and in films such as The Entertainer (1960). In 1961, she received a Tony Award for her role in A Taste of Honey on Broadway.

Through her marriage to Laurence Olivier, she became closely associated with his work at the National Theatre from 1963 onwards. In the 1990s she began to appear more regularly in films, including Enchanted April (1992), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination, Dennis the Menace (1993), a cameo in Last Action Hero (also 1993), 101 Dalmatians (1996), playing Nanny, and Tea With Mussolini (1999). Among her television roles, she won another Golden Globe Award and earned an Emmy Award nomination for the HBO film Stalin in 1992 as the Soviet dictator's mother-in-law. Her pair of 1992 performances (Enchanted April and Stalin) marked only the second time an actress (after Sigourney Weaver, for performances in 1988) won two Golden Globes in the same year; as of the January 2023 presentation, only Helen Mirren (for performances in 2006) and Kate Winslet (for performances in 2008) have duplicated this feat. In 1994, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.[7]

In 2003, Plowright performed in the stage production Absolutely! (Perhaps) in London. She was appointed honorary president of the English Stage Company in March 2009, succeeding John Mortimer, who died in January 2009. She was previously vice-president of the company.[8]

Plowright was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 New Year Honours[9] and was promoted to Dame Commander (DBE) in the 2004 New Year Honours.[10]

Plowright's vision declined steadily during the late 2000s and early 2010s due to macular degeneration. In 2014, she officially announced her retirement from acting because she had become legally blind.[11]

Personal life

Plowright was first married to Roger Gage, an actor, in September 1953. She later divorced him and, in 1961, married Laurence Olivier shortly after the end of his twenty-year marriage to the actress Vivien Leigh. Plowright and Olivier had three children, son Richard (born 1961), daughter Tamsin Agnes Margaret (born 1963) and daughter Julie-Kate (born 1966).[12] Both daughters became actresses.[13] The couple remained married until Olivier's death in 1989.

Her younger brother, David Plowright (1930–2006) was an executive at Granada Television.

Legacy

The Plowright Theatre in Scunthorpe is named in Plowright's honour.

Styles

Upon her marriage she became Lady Olivier. In 1970, her husband Sir Laurence Olivier was made a life peer and Plowright became Lady Olivier of Brighton in the County of Sussex. As the wife and widow of a life peer, she is entitled to be styled The Right Honourable The Lady Olivier, and since 2004, “The Lady Olivier DBE”.

In 2004 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), and is professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1956Moby DickStarbuck's wifeUncredited
1957Time Without PityAgnes Cole
1960The EntertainerJean Rice
1963Uncle VanyaSonya
1970Three SistersMasha Kulighina
1977EquusDora Strang
1982Britannia HospitalPhyllis Grimshaw
Brimstone & TreacleNorma Bates
1985RevolutionMrs. Daisy McConnahay
1988 Drowning by NumbersCissie Colpitts 1
The DressmakerNellie
1990I Love You to DeathNadja
AvalonEva Krichinsky
1991Enchanted AprilMrs. Jane Fisher
1993 Dennis the MenaceMrs. Martha Wilson
Last Action Hero Teacher
The Summer House Mrs. Evelyn Munro
1994A Pin for the ButterflyGrandma
Widows' PeakMrs. Dawn Doyle-Counihan
1995 The Scarlet LetterHarriet Hibbons
A Pyromaniac's Love StoryMrs. Wendy Linzer
Hotel SorrentoMarge Morrisey
1996 101 DalmatiansNanny
Surviving PicassoFrançoise's Grandmother
Mr. WrongMrs. Jessica Crawford
Jane EyreMrs. Maddie Fairfax
1997The AssistantMrs. Ida Bober
1998Dance with MeBea Johnson
1999 Tom's Midnight GardenMrs. Ortensia Bartholomew
Tea with MussoliniMary Wallace
Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!Miss Endless (voice)
2000DinosaurBaylene (voice)
Back to the Secret GardenMartha Sowerby
2002 Global HeresyLady Foxley
Callas ForeverSarah Keller
2003 Bringing Down the HouseVirginia Arness
I am DavidSophie
2004George and the DragonMother Superior
2005Mrs. Palfrey at the ClaremontMrs. Sarah Palfrey
2006 Goose on the LooseBeatrice Fairfield
Curious GeorgeVictoria Plushbottom (voice)
2008The Spiderwick ChroniclesAunt Lucinda Spiderwick
2009Knife EdgeMarjorie
2018Nothing Like a DameHerselfDocumentary

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1951Sara CreweWinnie4 episodes
1954BBC Sunday-Night TheatreAdriana3 episodes
1955Moby Dick—RehearsedA Young Actress/PipUncompleted and lost Orson Welles film
1957Sword of FreedomLisa GiocondoEpisode: "The Woman in the Picture"
1959Theatre NightArlette Le BoeufEpisode: Hook, Line, and Sinker
World TheatreLady TeazleEpisode: The School for Scandal
ITV Play of the WeekViolaEpisode: The Secret Agent
ITV Television PlayhouseJane MaxwellEpisode: Odd Man In
1967NET PlayhouseSonyaEpisode: Uncle Vanya
1970ITV PlayhouseLisaEpisode: "The Plastic People"
ITV Sunday Night TheatreViola/SebastianEpisode: Twelfth Night
1973The Merchant of VenicePortiaFilm
1978Saturday, Sunday, MondayRosaFilm
Daphne LaureolaLady PittsFilm
1980The Diary of Anne FrankMrs. FrankUS film
1982All for LoveEdithEpisode: "A Dedicated Man"
1983WagnerMrs. TaylorEpisode: "1.2"
1986The Importance of Being EarnestLady BracknellFilm
1987Theatre NightMeg BowlesEpisode: "The Birthday Party"
1989And a Nightingale SangMamFilm
1990SophieSophieFilm
1991The House of Bernarda AlbaLa PonciaFilm
1992 StalinOlgaFilm
Driving Miss DaisyDaisy WerthanFilm
1993Screen TwoMrs. MonroEpisode: "The Clothes in the Wardrobe"
1994 The Return of the NativeMrs. YeobrightFilm
A Place for AnnieDorothyFilm
On Promised LandMrs. AppletreeFilm
1998–1999Encore!Marie Pinoni12 episodes
1998 Aldrich Ames: Traitor WithinJeanne VertefeuilleFilm
This Could Be the Last TimeRosemaryFilm
2000Frankie & HazelPhoebe HarknessFilm
2001Bailey's MistakeAunt AngieFilm
Scrooge and MarleyNarratorFilm

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue
1948If Four Walls ToldHope (stage debut)Croydon Repertory Theatre, England
1954The Merry GentlemenAllisonBristol Old Vic, England
The DuennaDonna ClaraWestminster Theatre, London
1955Moby DickPipDuke of York's Theatre, London
1956The CrucibleMary WarrenRoyal Court Theatre, London
Dom JuanBaptistaRoyal Court Theatre, London
The Death of SatanReceptionistRoyal Court Theatre, London
Cards of IdentityMiss TrayRoyal Court Theatre, London
The Good Woman of SetzuanMrs. ShinRoyal Court Theatre, London
The Country WifeMargery PinchwifeRoyal Court Theatre
Adelphi Theatre, London
1957The Making of MooElizabeth ComptonRoyal Court Theatre, London
1958The EntertainerJean RicePalace Theatre, London
Major BarbaraMajor BarbaraRoyal Court Theatre, London
Hook, Line and SinkerArlettePiccadilly Theatre, London
The LessonThe StudentPhoenix Theatre, Off-Broadway
The ChairsOld Woman
The EntertainerJean RiceRoyale Theatre, Broadway
1959RootsBeatie BryantBelgrade Theatre, Coventry
Royal Court Theatre, London
Duke of York's Theatre
1960RhinocerosDaisyRoyal Court Theatre, London
A Taste of HoneyJosephineBooth Theatre, Broadway
1962The ChancesAnother ConstatiaChichester Festival Theatre, England
1962–1963Uncle VanyaSonyaChichester Festival Theatre
Old Vic Theatre, London
1963Saint JoanSaint JoanOld Vic Theatre, London
1964Hobson's ChoiceMaggie HobsonOld Vic Theatre, London
The Master BuilderHilda WangelOld Vic Theatre, London
1967–68Much Ado about NothingBeatriceOld Vic Theatre, London
Three SistersMashaOld Vic Theatre, London
TartuffeDorineOld Vic Theatre, London
1968The AdvertisementTeresaOld Vic Theatre, London
Royal Theatre, London
Love's Labour's LostRosalineOld Vic Theatre, London
1969Back to Methuselah, Part IIVoice of LilithOld Vic Theatre, London
1970The Merchant of VenicePortiaNew Theatre, London
1971A Woman Killed with KindnessMistress Anne FrankfordNew Theatre, London
The Rules of the GameSillaNew Theatre, London
1972The Doctor's DilemmaJennifer DubedatChichester Festival Theatre, England
The Taming of the ShrewKatharinaChichester Festival Theatre, England
1973RosmersholmRebecca WestGreenwich Theatre, London
1973
1974–75
Saturday, Sunday, MondayRosaOld Vic Theatre, London
Queen's Theatre, London
1974Eden's EndStella KirbyOld Vic Theatre, London
National Theatre, London
1975The SeagullIrena ArkadinaLyric Theatre Company, London
The Bed before YesterdayAlmaLyric Theatre Company, London
1978FilumenaFilumena MarturanoLyric Theatre, London
1980EnjoyMamVaudeville Theatre, London,
The Best House in NaplesFilumena MarturanoSt. James Theatre, Broadway
1981Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?MarthaRoyal National Theatre, London
1982CavellPerformerRoyal National Theatre, London
1983The Cherry OrchardMadame RanevskayaHaymarket Theatre, London
1984The Way of the WorldLady WishfortHaymarket Theatre, London
1985Mrs. Warren's ProfessionMrs. WarrenLyttelton Theatre, London
1986–87The House of Bernarda AlbaLa PonciaLyric Theatre, London
Globe Theatre, London
1990Time and the ConwaysMrs. ConwayOld Vic Theatre, London

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1961Tony AwardsBest Actress in a PlayA Taste of HoneyWon[14]
British Academy Film AwardsMost Promising NewcomerThe EntertainerNominated[15]
1977Best Supporting ActressEquusNominated
1993Academy AwardsBest Supporting ActressEnchanted AprilNominated
1993Golden Globe AwardsBest Supporting Actress - Motion PictureWon
Best Supporting Actress - TelevisionStalinWon
1993Primetime Emmy AwardsBest Supporting Actress - Limited Series or TV MovieNominated

References

  1. Herbert Kretzmer (28 August 2014). Snapshots: Encounters with Twentieth-Century Legends. Biteback. ISBN 978-1-84954-798-7. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  2. "Joan Plowright Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
  3. "Joan Plowright Biography (1929-)". www.filmreference.com.
  4. Star Pupils Revealed at Scunthorpe Telegraph Archived 1 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 July 2016
  5. MacKay, Andrew (23 April 2010). "Joan Plowright - interview transcript" (PDF). The British Library.
  6. "Entertainment | Plowright steals the limelight". BBC News. 31 December 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  7. "Past Recipients: Crystal Award". Women In Film. Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  8. Smith, Alistair (5 March 2009). "Plowright becomes honorary president of English Stage Company". The Stage. The Stage Newspaper Limited. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  9. "Viewing Page 9 of Issue 44999". London-gazette.co.uk. 30 December 1969. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  10. "Viewing Page 7 of Issue 57155". London-gazette.co.uk. 31 December 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  11. Walker, Tim (13 May 2014). "Joan Plowright bows out to a standing ovation". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  12. Munn, Michael (2007). Lord Larry: The Secret Life of Laurence Olivier: a Personal and Intimate Portrait. London: Robson Books. pp. 205, 209 and 218. ISBN 978-1-86105-977-2. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  13. "Joan Plowright Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
  14. "Joan Plowright". Playbill.
  15. "Joan Plowright". IMDb.
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