Part of an astonishing generation of British actors, including Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins and Maggie Smith, Plowright won a Tony Award, two Golden Globes and nominations for an Oscar and an Emmy.

Joan Ann Plowright was born on 29 October 1929 in Brigg, Lincolnshire. Her mother, Daisy, was a keen amateur actor and by the age of three, her daughter had taken to the stage. She went to Scunthorpe Grammar School before studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic.

LONDON -- Award-winning British actor Joan Plowright, who was one half of a theatrical power couple after marrying Laurence Olivier, has died. She was 95. In a statement Friday, her family said Plowright died the previous day at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors in southern England, surrounded by her loved ones.