born Dec. 9, 1934, York, Yorkshire, Eng.
British actress.
She made her stage debut in 1957 as Ophelia in Hamlet , and Shakespearean works became her specialty. She also performed in musical roles, starring in the London premiere of Cabaret in 1968. Among her many other notable credits were the 1981–84 TV series A Fine Romance and the films 84 Charing Cross Road (1986), Mrs. Brown (1997)
in which she starred as Queen Victoria
and Shakespeare in Love (1998, Academy Award).