Glenda Jackson

Glenda May Jackson^[1] CBE (9 May 1936 – 15 June 2023) was an English actress turned politician. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC series Elizabeth R in 1971. She won the Triple Crown of Acting, meaning she was the winner of an Oscar, Emmy and Tony Awards.

Glenda Jackson CBE
Jackson in July 2022
Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Highgate
In office 9 April 1992 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Geoffrey Finsberg
Succeeded by	Tulip Siddiq
Majority	3,729 (9.8%)
Personal details
Born	Glenda May Jackson (1936-05-09)9 May 1936 Birkenhead, Cheshire, England
Died	15 June 2023(2023-06-15) (aged 87) Blackheath, London, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Roy Hodges ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1976)​

Life and career

Glenda Jackson studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She began her acting career in 1957. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she remained for four years.

After a few bit parts in movies, she got her first major role in Marat/Sade in 1966. In 1969, she appeared in Ken Russell's movie version of D.H. Lawrence's novel Women in Love. For this part, she won the Academy Award for best actress.^[2] The next year, she appeared in another Ken Russell's movie The Music Lovers.

Other notable movies have included; Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), The Triple Echo (1972), A Touch of Class (1973), which won her a second Academy Award for best actress, The Romantic Englishwoman (1975), Hedda (1975), The Incredible Sarah (1976), Stevie (1978), Hopscotch (1980) etc.

She also appeared to great acclaim on BBC television in Elizabeth R, a six parts series on the life of Queen Elizabeth I of England, which is thought by many as the most scholarly version.

Jackson retired from acting in 1992 and turned to politics. She entered the House of Commons as a Labour member of Parliament. She was married to Roy Hodges from 1958 to 1976, with whom she had a son, Daniel (born in 1969).

In August 2017, Burberry, a London-based luxury fashion house recruited Glenda Jackson to model the iconic trench and revealed the inspiration for its next London Fashion Week show.^[3][4]

On 15 June 2023, Jackson died at her home in Blackheath, London at the age of 87.^[5]