The actress and politician Glenda Jackson died last week at the age of 87. Her acting career moved effortlessly between stage, TV, and motion pictures, where Jackson proved a commanding presence in each. In 1992 she took a lengthy break from the acting world to become a Labour MP, exchanging the likes of co-stars George Segal, James Garner, and Jeff Goldblum for colleagues Dennis Skinner, Roy Hattersley, and John Prescott.
Returning to stage, TV, radio, and film in 2015, Jackson had lost none of her thespian chops, continuing to rack up awards. Despite an occasionally stern public persona, she could easily turn her hand to comedy as much as serious drama, evidenced by her Best Actress Academy Award for A Touch of Class (1973), and most famously, appearing as Cleopatra in Morecambe & Wise (1971), which she remembered as one of the high points of her acting career. Here is my selection of ten of her best motion pictures:
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) full movie available on YouTube
Life amongst the bohemian Hampstead set is skilfully dissected in John Schlesinger’s (Midnight Cowboy) literary love triangle drama.
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