Award-winning actress Dame Joan Plowright dies aged 95

Oscar nominee Dame Joan Plowright has died at the age of 95, her family has said. The British actress, who was married to Lord Laurence Olivier, was known for her Golden Globe award-winning performances in TV biopic Stalin and Enchanted April, for which she was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Dame Joan also starred in Love You To Death with River Phoenix, and was a star of the West End and Broadway before her international movie success.

A statement said: “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. She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until blindness made her retire.

“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.

“Joan is survived by her loving family: Tamsin and Wilf, Julie-Kate and Dan, Richard, Shelley, Troy, Ali, Jeremy, step-granddaughter and great-granddaughter Kaya and Sophia, and great-granddaughter soon to arrive. The family ask you to please respect their request for privacy at this time.

“We are so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being. She survived her many challenges with Plowright grit and courageous determination to make the best of them, and that she certainly did. Rest in peace, Joan…”

Dame Joan's wedding to Lord Olivier in 1961 was the sensation of the year, and their marriage was an enduring one until the theatre great's death in 2007 at the age of 86. She became his carer through a series of chronic illnesses, including cancer.