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The celebrated actress Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her role in the film Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the age of 85.

Her passing was peaceful in her London residence, in the company of her loved ones after living with Parkinson's for a number of years, as stated by her relatives.

Collins will be best remembered for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's award-winning film, based on the acclaimed stage play by Willy Russell.

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

'Witty Presence'

Her relatives said in a statement: "She was a multifaceted person to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her career. An intelligent, lively, and humorous figure 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 knew all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them."

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

"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was constantly supportive," they expressed, appreciating her caregivers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love"

"She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. 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

She initially performed the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theater in London in 1988. She received that year's Olivier award for best actress.

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

Born in Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool and began her professional life as a educator.

Her passion for theater led her to take up acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she appeared briefly as a medical attendant 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 adult entertainment venue, the Windmill Theater.

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

Her acting career that she met her husband John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had a family of three, their sons and daughter.

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.