Glenda May Jackson was born on 9 May 1936 in Birkenhead, in Wirral, the daughter of a bricklayer. She joined a YMCA drama group and two years later, she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1964. A year later, her big breakthrough came in Peter Brook's stage production of Marat/Sade. Jackson transferred with the production to Broadway.
In 1976 she returned to the RSC in the title role of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, directed by Trevor Nunn. She was Oscar-nominated for the subsequent film version, which Nunn also directed.
Glenda Jackson has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, receiving the first for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama film Women in Love (1970) and the second for her role as Vickie Allessio in the romantic comedy film A Touch of Class (1973). She also garnered praise for her performances as Alex Greville in the drama film Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and Elizabeth I in the BBC television serial Elizabeth R (1971), winning two Primetime Emmy Awards for the latter. In 2018, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role in a revival of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women, thus becoming one of the few performers to have achieved the "Triple Crown of Acting" in the US.
Jackson took a hiatus from acting to take on a career in politics from 1992 to 2015, and was elected as the Labour Party MP for Hampstead and Highgate in the 1992 general election. She served as a junior transport minister from 1997 to 1999 during the government of Tony Blair, later becoming critical of Blair. After constituency-boundary changes, she represented Hampstead and Kilburn from 2010. In the 2010 general election, her majority of 42 votes was one of the closest results of the entire election. She stood down at the 2015 general election.
She later returned to the screen, In 2016 - a full quarter of a century after last treading the boards - took on the role of King Lear at the Old Vic. Two years later, she won a Tony Award on Broadway in a revival of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women.
She went on to win a Bafta for her role in the TV drama Elizabeth Is Missing in 2020. She recently completed filming The Great Escaper in which she co-starred with Michael Caine.
Jackson died at age 87 in June 2023.
Glenda Jackson, King Lear
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Glenda Jackson, King Lear
Glenda Jackson, Macbeth
Glenda Jackson , Macbeth
Glenda Jackson, Strange Interlude
Glenda JacksonStrange Interlude
Glenda Jackson, Rose
Glenda JacksonRose
Glenda JacksonAntony And Cleopatra
Glenda JacksonStevie
Glenda Jackson, Marat/Sade
Glenda Jackson has appeared on Broadway in 7 shows.
Glenda Jackson has appeared on London's West End in 2 shows.
Glenda Jackson's first West End show was Us which opened in
Glenda Jackson has been nominated for several awards throughout her career, including Outstanding Actress in a Play at the Outer Critics Circle Awards for "King Lear," Best Leading Actress in a Play at the BroadwayWorld Awards for "Three Tall Women," and Outstanding Actress in a Play at the Drama Desk Awards for "Three Tall Women." She has also received nominations such as Distinguished Performance Award at the Drama League Awards for "Three Tall Women," Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play at the Tony Awards for "Three Tall Women," and Best Actress at the Olivier Awards for "King Lear." Additionally, Glenda Jackson has been nominated for awards like Outstanding Actress - Play at the Drama Desk Awards for "Macbeth," Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play at the Tony Awards for "Macbeth," and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play at the Tony Awards for "Strange Interlude." She has also received nominations for Actress of the Year in a Revival at the Olivier Awards for "Strange Interlude," Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play at the Tony Awards for "Rose," and Actress of the Year in a New Play at the Olivier Awards for "Rose." Furthermore, Glenda Jackson has been nominated for Actress of the Year in a Revival at the Olivier Awards for "Antony And Cleopatra," Actress of the Year in a New Play at the Olivier Awards for "Stevie," and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play at the Tony Awards for "Marat/Sade."
Glenda Jackson has won several awards for her performance in the play Three Tall Women on Broadway. These include Best Leading Actress in a Play at the BroadwayWorld Awards, Outstanding Actress in a Play at the Drama Desk Awards, Distinguished Performance Award at the Drama League Awards, Outstanding Actress in a Play at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play at the Tony Awards.
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