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The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her performance in the movie Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old.

Her passing was peaceful in her London care home, surrounded by her family after living with Parkinson's disease for several years, according to her family.

Collins will be best remembered for her portrayal of unhappy homemaker Shirley in the director's award-winning motion picture, adapted from the acclaimed stage play by playwright Willy Russell.

Her praised acting won her the Golden Globe Award for outstanding actress as well as a Bafta.

'Sparkling Personality'

Her relatives released a statement saying: "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 play politicians, mothers and queens."

"She will always be remembered as the legendary, determined, lively, and insightful Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her charm was embedded in every single role."

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

"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us," they said, appreciating her caregivers, who looked after her with "respect, empathy, and above all affection"

"She could not have had a calmer departure. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to reflect on life in her absence"

Stage Success

Collins first played the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in the UK capital in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for best actress.

The following year she reprised the role on Broadway, New York, where she earned several awards including a esteemed Tony Award.

The movie adaptation was launched shortly after.

Additional movie roles included the 1991 film City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which brought her wider recognition worldwide.

A native of Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near the city of Liverpool and started out her career as a educator.

Her passion for theater inspired her to pursue acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a nurse in the TV series 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.

After a number of stage roles, she used her Liverpool accent to secure a part on the show The Liver Birds.

It was through acting that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.

Alderton and Collins starred together in a variety of screen projects, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in ITV's popular series.