The entertainment world mourns the loss of Pauline Collins, the celebrated British actor who has died at the age of 85. While her career spanned decades, she will be forever immortalised by one defining role: the titular character in the life-affirming comedy Shirley Valentine.
From Parlour Maid to West End Star
Collins first captured the hearts of the British public on the small screen. She became a recognisable star on both sides of the Atlantic in the smash-hit ITV series Upstairs, Downstairs, often described as the Downton Abbey of its day. Playing Sarah, the spirited parlour maid with a complex past, her on-screen romance with the chauffeur Thomas, portrayed by her real-life husband John Alderton, became a national favourite.
However, her true moment of cinematic greatness arrived with Willy Russell's 1986 stage play, Shirley Valentine. Collins's performance was so triumphant in London's West End and on Broadway that she was the natural and only choice to lead the subsequent film adaptation.
The Gloriously Sexy Escapade
The film Shirley Valentine presented a groundbreaking narrative. Collins played a bored, middle-aged Liverpool housewife who feels trapped in a monotonous life. When she wins a free holiday to Greece, she seizes the opportunity for adventure.
In a bold move that shocked her fellow British tourists, she stays on after the package holiday ends. This decision leads to a gloriously sexy escapade with a local taverna owner, the roguish Costas, played with charismatic flair by Tom Conti. The film broke new ground by broaching female sexuality from a mature woman's perspective, a topic rarely explored in mainstream cinema at the time.
Collins's performance was masterful, with her character frequently breaking the fourth wall to confide in the audience. One of the most memorable moments, which earned big laughs in cinemas nationwide, saw Shirley dryly remark "Aren't men full of shit?" after Costas professed to love her stretch marks.
A Career Beyond the Sunshine
Following the monumental success of Shirley Valentine, Pauline Collins continued to enjoy a vibrant career on stage and television, including appearances in popular series like Dr Who. Yet, the film industry seldom provided her with another role of similar calibre.
Her subsequent film work included parts in Roland Joffé's City of Joy (1992), Bruce Beresford's Paradise Road (1997), and Rodrigo García's Albert Nobbs (2011). However, she often found herself cast in lesser, sentimental films about older people, such as Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War and Quartet, which failed to utilise her full talent.
A notable later exception was a sharp, if small, comedy role in Woody Allen's You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (2010), where she played a fortune teller.
Despite a long and varied career, Shirley Valentine remains Pauline Collins's crowning achievement. It was the role that gave her the most substantial airtime and perfectly channelled her unique blend of warm, sharp charm. The film remains a buoyant, funny, and sunshine-filled classic, a testament to an actor who seized a role of a lifetime with unparalleled style and glee.
