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Pauline Collins, best known for her performance in the movie Shirley Valentine, has died at the eighty-five years old.

Her passing was peaceful in her London residence, surrounded by her loved ones after living with Parkinson's for a number of years, according to her family.

Her legacy will be defined for her depiction of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's award-winning motion picture, based on the acclaimed theatrical production by Willy Russell.

Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe for outstanding actress as well as a BAFTA award.

'Charming and Witty'

Her relatives said in a statement: "Pauline was so many things to countless individuals, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. 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 role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them."

The statement continued she was their "loving mum, our beloved grandmother and great-grandma", and her husband John Alderton's "eternal partner"

"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us," they said, thanking her carers, 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 peak of her career; radiant and energetic; and allow us privacy to reflect on life in her absence"

Broadway Role

She initially performed the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in 1988. She won that year's Olivier Award for outstanding actress.

The following year she reprised the role on Broadway, New York, 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 actor Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which brought her wider recognition worldwide.

Born in Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near the city of Liverpool and started out her career as a teacher.

Her passion for theater inspired her to pursue acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role 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 striptease nightclub, the Windmill Theater.

After a number of stage roles, she employed her regional dialect to land a role on The Liver Birds.

It was through acting that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They married in 1969 and had three children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.

Alderton and Collins starred alongside each other in a number of television and film roles, such as Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she played a maid in the acclaimed ITV program.