In parliament, Jackson was vociferous in her condemnation of the Conservatives which she accused of instilling a "dreadful, dreadful moral malaise" in Britain. "We must work for the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the frail, the sick," she told supporters. In 1992, at the age of 55, Jackson won a seat in parliament representing Labour in a constituency in north London. She had been angered by the damage she believed was inflicted on the working classes by Margaret Thatcher, Britain's Conservative prime minister from 1979 until 1990. "MORAL MALAISE"Īfter more than three decades on stage and film, Jackson quit acting and took her no-nonsense, straight-talking style into politics. "She played many roles, with great distinction, passion and commitment."įoreign Secretary James Cleverly, of the governing Conservative Party, described her as a "funny, thoughtful and principled person". "She leaves a space in our cultural and political life that can never be filled," Labour leader Keir Starmer said. Jackson also won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of England's Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC's 1971 television series "Elizabeth R".īesides her serious film roles, Jackson also showed her popular, comic touch when she appeared in some of British television's most-loved comedy shows of the day, starring as Cleopatra in a sketch with duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise and appearing on "The Muppet Show". Her second Oscar came three years later for "∺ Touch of Class", a romantic comedy directed by Melvin Frank in which Jackson played a harried fashion designer caught up in a catastrophic love affair with an American businessman in London. She won her first Academy Award in 1971 as lead actress for her role as a headstrong artist in director Ken Russell's film of D.H. Growing up in Birkenhead, Cheshire, Jackson left school at the age of 15 and found work in a shop before winning a place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. "A formidable politician, an amazing actress and a very supportive mentor to me," Tulip Siddiq said on Twitter. The current lawmaker for Jackson's former seat in parliament said she was devastated to hear of her predecessor's death. Raw-boned, pallid and angular, with striking, sharp eyes, she had starred on stage, television and film before quitting to take up politics with the left-of-centre Labour Party, declaring: "∺n actor's life is not interesting". Her agent said she had died at her home in southeast London after a brief illness. One of four daughters of a bricklayer and a cleaning lady in northwest England, Jackson never forgot her roots even as she made her name as one of the greatest women actors of her generation. LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Actor Glenda Jackson, a two-time Oscar winner who later served as a socialist politician in the British parliament for 23 years, has died.
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