Pauline Collins, the exuberant British actress who inspired women — and men, too — to do something to change their unhappy lives with her Oscar-nominated and Olivier- and Tony-winning performances in Shirley Valentine , has died. She was 85.

Collins’ death in her home in London — she had dealt with Parkinson’s disease for several years — was announced Thursday by her family.

Collins also was known for her BAFTA-nominated turn as the cheerful yet troublemaking parlor maid Sarah Moffatt on the first two seasons of Upstairs, Downstairs . Her character had a romance with chauffeur Thomas Watkins, played by Collins’ husband and frequent acting partner, John Alderton.

Pauline Collins, the exuberant British actress who inspired women — and men, too — to do something to change their unhappy

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