Veteran Actress Dies: Lauren Olivier’s Widow Joan Plowright Was 95

Dame Joan Plowright, celebrated Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actress and widow of Sir Laurence Olivier, has died. She was 95.

Plowright’s death was confirmed by her family in a statement to the BBC on Friday, Jan. 17. “It is with great sadness that the family of Dame Joan Plowright, the Lady Olivier, inform you that she passed away peacefully on January 16 2025 surrounded by her family at Denville Hall aged 95,” the statement read.

“She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until blindness made her retire,” the statement continued. “She cherished her last 10 years in Sussex with constant visits from friends and family, filled with much laughter and fond memories. The family are deeply grateful to Jean Wilson and all those involved in her personal care over many years.”

Plowright was born on Oct. 28, 1929, in Brigg, Lincolnshire, England. In 1948, Plowright made her debut on stage, going on to join he English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre in 1956. The following year, she co-starred with Olivier in a production of John Osborne’s The Entertainer, and the two would go on to marry in 1961. That same year, Plowright won a Tony Award for her performance on Broadway in A Taste of Honey.

In the ’90s, Plowright took her talents into the world of film, earning a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for her role in 1992’s Enchanted April. She would go on to star in 1993’s Dennis the Menace, 1995’s The Scarlet Letter, 1996’s 101 Dalmations, and 1999’s Tea With Mussolini.

She also excelled in television, winning a Golden Globe and scoring an Emmy nomination for the 1992 HBO film Stalin. Plowright also appeared in 1994’s The Return of the Native and A Place for Annie as well as NBC’s Encore! Encore! from 1998 to 1999.

In 1970, Plowright was bestowed the honor of a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II and was promoted to Dame Commander in 2004. A decade later in 2014, Plowright retired from acting after going blind due to macular degeneration. Four years, later, however, she appeared on-screen as herself in the documentary Nothing Like a Dame.

Plowright is survived by her son, Richard Olivier, and two daughters, Tamsin Olivier and Julie Kate Olivier, as well as her grandchildren.