SEARCH BIOGRAPHY.COM
(born May 9, 1936, Birkenhead, Cheshire, Eng.) British stage and motion-picture actress noted for her tense portrayals of complex women.
The daughter of a bricklayer, Jackson quit school at age 16 to join an amateur theatre group and soon won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. After graduating she began working in repertory theatres as an actress and stage manager. She was discovered by Peter Brook for his Theatre of Cruelty revue, in which her career was established. In 1964 she had a stunning personal triumph when she portrayed Charlotte Corday in the London production of The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat . . . , better known as Marat/Sade. She repeated this role in the New York production of Marat/Sade in 1965 and in the film version (1967) of the play.Jackson's performance in 1970 as Gudrun Brangwen in Ken Russell's motion picture Women in Love gained her both international acclaim and the Academy Award (1971) for best actress. She followed this success up with leading roles in The Music Lovers (1971), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), and A Touch of Class (1973), winning another Academy Award for the latter film. Jackson's screen persona was typically that of a highly intelligent, rather ironic, aloof woman who combines strength of character with a disturbing eroticism.Jackson portrayed the English queen Elizabeth I both in the BBC television miniseries Elizabeth R (1971) and in the film Mary, Queen of Scots (1971). Her other film portrayals included the title role in Hedda (1975), a film adaptation of a play by Henrik Ibsen; The Incredible Sarah (1976); Stevie (1978); The Return of the Soldier (1982); and Turtle Diary (1985). Jackson won a seat in the House of Commons as a Labour Party candidate in 1992.
advertisement
The brightest stars from the Hollywood universe shine brilliantly in this sweeping collection of profiles. Buy Now
Get email updates on your favorite BIO shows and what's new on bio.com!
– Bio.com news
– BIO shows
– Born On This Day
…and more! SIGN UP today!
See who was born and what went down this week in Pop Culture history. Find out which celebrities share your birthday and much more in our NEW On This Day feature!
Celebrate Black History Month. Explore our interactive black history timelines, videos, meet hundreds of famous African-Americans and so much more.
Could you beat the famous Harlem Globetrotters? How well do you know President Obama? Actors, politicos and everyone in between - see all video!
© 1996-2010 A&E Television Networks. All Rights Reserved