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The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the film Shirley Valentine, has died at the age of 85.

She died peacefully in her London care home, in the company of her loved ones after battling Parkinson's for several years, as stated by her family.

Her legacy will be defined for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's acclaimed film, adapted from the celebrated theatrical production by Willy Russell.

Her critically acclaimed performance won her the Golden Globe for outstanding actress as well as a Bafta.

'Charming and Witty'

Collins' family released a statement saying: "She was a multifaceted person to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on theater and film. Her distinguished work saw her play politicians, mothers and queens."

"She will always be remembered as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a role that she made all her own. We knew all those aspects of her personality because her charm was embedded in each one of them."

They added she was their "loving mum, our beloved grandmother and great-grandmother", and actor John Alderton's "life-long love"

"Kind, humorous, giving, considerate, intelligent, she was always there for us," they expressed, appreciating her carers, who cared for her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love"

"She experienced a more peaceful goodbye. We ask that you recall her at the height of her powers; radiant and energetic; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her"

Stage Success

Collins first played the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in London in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for outstanding actress.

A year later she returned to the character on the New York stage, where she picked up numerous prizes including a esteemed Tony Award.

The film of the same name was released later that year.

Her other films included 1991's City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which gained her international fame worldwide.

Born in Exmouth in 1940, she grew up near the city of Liverpool and started out her career as a educator.

Her love of the stage inspired her to pursue acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a nurse in the Emergency Ward 10.

She featured in the film Secrets of a Windmill Girl in 1966, portraying an imaginary performer in a London striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theatre.

Following several theater parts, she employed her regional dialect to land a role on The Liver Birds.

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

The couple performed 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.