In 1988, Collins first played the title role of Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville Theatre in London. She won that year's Olivier Award for Best Actress. The following year she opened in New York at the Booth Theatre with a repeat performance of the play. She was awarded the Theatre World Award, The Drama Desk Award, The Outer Critics Circle Award, The Drama League Award and a Tony® Award, for Best Actress. In 1991, Collins co-starred with Patrick Swayze in Roland Joffe's CITY OF JOY, filmed in Calcutta. The film brought Collins further international acclaim and worldwide recognition.
The actress's career stretches back over 40 years with performances in some of Britain's most loved television programmes. Born in Exmouth in 1940, she was raised near Liverpool and started out as a teacher. Her love of the stage led her to take up acting on a part-time basis, and in 1957 she had a cameo role as a nurse in the "Emergency Ward 10" TV series. After a number of stage roles, she used her Liverpool accent to get a role on "The Liver Birds."
It was through acting that she met husband John Alderton. They married in 1969 and have three adult children, Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. Alderton and Collins have starred alongside each other in a number of television and film roles, such as "Upstairs, Downstairs," which was the role that shot Collins to international fame.
Her film PARADISE ROAD (1997) told the story of a group of women in a Japanese prisoner of war camp who defy their captors by founding an orchestra. She appeared in the 1998 TV series "The Ambassador" as Ambassador Harret Smith.
Other notable film credits include UNPLEASANTNESS AT BLUDLEIGH COURT, RODNEY FAILS TO QUALIFY and THE RISE OF MINNA NORDSTROM (all 1976, "Wodehouse Playhouse"), MUTTERS COURAGE (1995), MRS. CALDICOT'S CABBAGE WAR and ONE LIFE STAND (both 2000), and the Masterpiece Theatre series, "Bleak House" (2005, as Miss Flite).
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 1989: SHIRLEY VALENTINE
1 nomination