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Pauline Collins, widely recognized for her role in the movie Shirley Valentine, has passed away at the eighty-five years old.

Her passing was peaceful in her London care home, in the company of her loved ones after battling Parkinson's for a number of years, according to her relatives.

Her legacy will be defined for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley in the director's acclaimed motion picture, adapted from the acclaimed theatrical production by Willy Russell.

Her critically acclaimed performance also earned her the Golden Globe for best actress as well as a Bafta.

'Witty Presence'

Collins' family said in a statement: "Pauline was so many things to so many people, portraying diverse characters in her career. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her distinguished work saw her play politicians, mothers and queens."

"She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a part she completely owned. 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-grandmother", and her husband John Alderton's "life-long love"

"Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us," they expressed, appreciating her carers, who looked after her with "dignity, compassion, and most of all love"

"She could not have had a calmer departure. We ask that you recall her at the height of her powers; radiant and energetic; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her"

New York Theater

She initially performed the lead part of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in 1988. She won that year's Olivier award for best actress.

A year later she returned to the character on the New York stage, where she picked up numerous prizes including a prestigious Tony award.

The movie adaptation was launched shortly after.

Additional movie roles included 1991's City of Joy with Patrick Swayze, shot in Kolkata, which gained her international fame worldwide.

A native of Exmouth in 1940, Collins was raised near the city of Liverpool and began her professional life as a teacher.

Her love of the stage led her to take up acting on a side basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a nurse in the TV series Emergency Ward 10.

She starred 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 used her Liverpool accent to land a role on The Liver Birds.

Her acting career that she encountered her spouse John Alderton. They wed in 1969 and had a family of three, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard.

The couple performed together in a variety of screen projects, such as the series Upstairs, Downstairs, in which she portrayed a servant in ITV's popular series.