Glenda Jackson, Oscar winner mixing acting and politics, dies at 87

Glenda Jackson, a renowned British actress and former politician, has died at the age of 87 after a short illness. Jackson was born into a working-class family in northwest England and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She became one of the biggest British stars of the 1960s and 70s, winning two Academy Awards for “Women in Love” in 1971 and “A Touch of Class” in 1974. On television, she won two Emmy Awards in 1972 for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth R.” In her 50s, Jackson went into politics, winning election to Parliament in 1992 as a Labour Party lawmaker. She spent 23 years in Parliament and served as a minister for transport in Prime Minister Tony Blair’s first government in 1997. Jackson was known for her outspokenness and opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After leaving Parliament in 2015, she returned to acting and had some of her most acclaimed roles, including the title character in Shakespeare's “King Lear.” Jackson's last film role was in the 2019 movie “Elizabeth is Missing,” for which she won a BAFTA award for her performance as a woman with Alzheimer's trying to solve a mystery. Jackson recently completed filming “The Great Escaper,” in which she co-starred with 90-year-old Michael Caine. Director Oliver Parker, who worked with Jackson on the movie, said the team was “shocked and deeply saddened" at her death. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Jackson “leaves a space in our cultural and political life that can never be filled.” Jackson is survived by her son, Dan Hodges.