Glenda Jackson obituary: An actress unafraid to speak her mind

Glenda Jackson, who has died aged 87, had scant patience for the accustomed foibles and pretensions of her profession.

"I respect acting," she erstwhile said, "as a superior occupation for serious-minded people."

Hollywood showered her with admiration and 2 champion histrion Oscars. But Jackson was not easy flattered.

Famously prickly, her presumption of Tinseltown often bordered connected contempt. "If I'm excessively beardown for immoderate people," she said, "that's their problem".

And, astatine the tallness of her acting power, she gave it each up for a vocation successful politics.

Glenda May Jackson was calved connected 9 May 1936 successful Birkenhead, successful Wirral, the girl of a bricklayer.

She attended the section grammar school, leaving astatine 16 to enactment astatine Boots.

Bored, she joined a YMCA play group. "I had nary existent ambition astir acting," she aboriginal recalled. "But I knew determination had to beryllium thing amended than the bloody chemist's shop."

Two years later, she won a assistance to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

It was, according to 1 reviewer, her "intense, sexually-charged talent" that won her a spot astatine the prestigious academy.

She made an content portion inactive astatine RADA, erstwhile she appeared successful a accumulation of Terence Rattigan's Separate Tables.

She followed this up with the accepted actor's apprenticeship, doing six years successful rep. She besides had a tiny relation successful the 1963 film, This Sporting Life.

By this clip she had joined histrion and creation trader Roy Hodges. The mates had a son, Dan, who became a noted governmental commentator.

She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) successful 1964. A twelvemonth later, her large breakthrough came successful Peter Brook's signifier accumulation of Marat/Sade.

Jackson played the lunatic asylum inmate who finds herself acting the relation of Charlotte Corday, the assassin of the French revolutionary, Jean Marat.

David Edgar described her show arsenic that of a "waif-like narcoleptic incapable to power her behaviour, but besides - wholly believably - the differently-mad idiosyncratic playing Corday".

Jackson transferred with the accumulation to Broadway and, successful 1967, appeared successful a movie mentation - besides directed by Brook.

In 1969, she won her archetypal Oscar, for champion actress, successful Ken Russell's adaptation of the DH Lawrence novel, Women successful Love.

The beautifully changeable movie became notorious for its nude scenes which, Jackson aboriginal recalled, she played with "a prevailing consciousness of coldness".

Her co-star Oliver Reed - hardly a shrinking violet himself - memorably described acting alongside her arsenic similar "being tally implicit by a Bedford truck".

The movie sparked Jackson's admiration for manager Russell. Russell reciprocated, casting her successful The Music Lovers, his biopic of Tchaikovsky.

The film, which revolved astir the narration betwixt the homosexual composer and his nymphomaniac woman - played by Jackson - was not a commercialized success.

But, according to 1 critic, the movie was worthy watching "thanks mostly to a powerhouse show by Glenda Jackson, 1 histrion who tin clasp her ain against Russell's excess".

In 1971, having appeared arsenic Elizabeth I successful the historically dubious film, Mary, Queen of Scots, she reprised the relation successful BBC TV's Elizabeth R.

The six-part bid saw her play the Virgin Queen from princess to ailing aged woman.

Jackson played the portion with her customary intensity, adjacent shaving her hairsbreadth to accommodate the make-up required arsenic her quality aged.

She was present firmly established arsenic 1 of the world's foremost melodramatic actresses. She responded by sending herself up.

One interviewer described her arsenic "so defiantly charmless that determination is thing oddly engaging astir her, adjacent vulnerable".

"As for her consciousness of humour," they went on, "it's by nary means non-existent, but you often request agelong tweezers to find it." But that did not mean she lacked comic timing.

In 1971, she made her archetypal quality connected the Morecambe and Wise Show - playing a drama Cleopatra.

"All men are fools," she declared with a flourish, "and what makes them truthful is having quality similar what I person got." The assemblage loved it, and Hollywood took note.

Soon she recovered herself formed other George Segal successful a romanticist comedy, A Touch of Class.

Jackson plays a British divorcee who has an matter with a joined American, and falls successful love. Her classy, understated show won her a 2nd Oscar.

"Stick with us," cabled Morecambe, "and we volition get you different one". But - arsenic with her erstwhile Academy Award - she refused to spell to Hollywood to prime up the statuette.

"You don't bash a play to vie for an award, "she explained. "I didn't triumph them. They were fixed to me."

Jackson's matrimony ended successful 1976, aft Jackson's hubby sued for divorcement connected the grounds of adultery.

She did not contradict it, but aboriginal noted that she had ne'er been progressive successful a non-violent relationship.

"When I person to cry," she aboriginal said, "I deliberation astir my emotion life. And erstwhile I person to laugh, I deliberation astir my emotion life."

She returned to the RSC successful the rubric relation of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, directed by Trevor Nunn. She was Oscar-nominated for the consequent movie version, which Nunn besides directed.

She besides received plaudits for her relation successful Howard Barker's play, Scenes from an Execution, broadcast connected BBC Radio 4 successful 1984 - which subsequently transferred to the stage.

Jackson wowed the critics connected Broadway erstwhile she appeared successful Eugene O'Neill's melodrama, Strange Interlude. It required her to beryllium connected signifier for 4 hours, arsenic her quality aged from a naive teen to embittered mother.

The New York Times was ecstatic: "She's arsenic mesmerizing arsenic a Zelda Fitzgerald-esque neurotic, a rotting and spiteful middle-aged matron and, finally, a spent, sphinx-like widow happily embracing extinction."

She joined forces with Russell again successful 1989, with an quality successful The Rainbow. In it she portrayed the parent of Ursula Brangwen, the quality she played with specified aplomb successful Women successful Love.

At the property of 56, Jackson announced she was quitting acting - to basal arsenic a Labour parliamentary campaigner successful the 1992 wide election.

"The champion theatre is trying to archer the truth," she said. "And the champion authorities is trying to archer the truth."

In an different miserable predetermination for her party, she won a notable triumph successful Hampstead and Highgate, which had been a Conservative spot for 2 decades.

When Labour came to powerfulness successful 1997, Jackson became a inferior curate with work for London Transport.

She resigned 2 years later, to marque a bid to go Labour's campaigner for the London mayor, but was defeated by Frank Dobson.

A left-winger by inclination, she became a fierce professional of Tony Blair's New Labour task and spoke retired against the penetration of Iraq.

In 2005, she threatened to basal against Blair for the enactment enactment unless helium announced his volition to basal down.

With bound changes, Jackson clung connected to her spot successful the 2010 wide predetermination with a wafer-thin bulk of 42.

But the astir arguable infinitesimal successful her governmental vocation came successful April 2013, erstwhile Parliament was recalled to wage tribute to the erstwhile premier minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Lady Thatcher had conscionable died. But Jackson saw nary crushed to rein successful her disapproval of a pistillate she believed "had inflicted heinous social, economical and spiritual harm upon the country".

Conservative MPs were furious erstwhile the Speaker refused to regularisation her remarks retired of order. One governmental commentator accused the Labour near of being "petty", "childish" and "self-indulgent" with its ungracious attacks connected the Iron Lady's memory. The writer was Jackson's son, Dan Hodges.

Jackson decided not to support her spot astatine the 2015 wide election. And - astatine the property of 79 - she returned to acting.

She played the 104-year-old Adelaide Fouque successful a BBC Radio 4 accumulation entitled Emile Zola: Blood Sex and Money.

And, successful 2016 - a afloat 4th of a period aft past treading the boards - took connected the relation of King Lear astatine the Old Vic.

"My fear," she said, "was that I would not person the carnal oregon vocal strength" to play 1 of Shakespeare's astir challenging parts.

But the Daily Telegraph described her show arsenic "one of those 11th-hour feats of quality endeavour that volition surely beryllium talked astir for years to come".

Two years later, she won a Tony Award connected Broadway successful a revival of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women.

Chain-smoking and often barbed, she tolerated nary fools. "No-one does scorn similar Jackson," said 1 shell-shocked interviewer.

But the writer Marilyn Stasio champion summed up the acquisition of watching her act: "It is similar looking consecutive into the sun," she wrote successful Variety magazine.

"Her expressive look registers her thoughts portion guarding her feelings. But it's the dependable that truly thrills.

"Deeply pitched and clarion clear, it's the commanding dependable of stern authority. Don't messiness with this household deity oregon she'll crook you to stone."

Jackson was winning accolades for her acting enactment arsenic precocious arsenic 2020, erstwhile she won a Bafta TV Award for champion starring histrion for her show successful Elizabeth is Missing, astir a pistillate suffering from dementia.

Shortly earlier her death, Jackson completed filming The Great Escaper, successful which she co-starred with Michael Caine.