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Who was Glenda Jackson? Oscar-winning star died shortly after filming The Great Escaper with Michael Caine

The Great Escaper, the final film of the late actress Glenda Jackson, is now premiering in the U.S. on PBS's Master Theatre, two years after its release in the UK.
posted by Vaishnavi Sah
Monday 11/24/2025 at 3:36AM EST
  • Actress Glenda Jackson, 30th March 1990 (Image via Getty)
    Actress Glenda Jackson, 30th March 1990 (Image via Getty)

    The Great Escaper, Glenda Jackson's final film, which she completed filming shortly before she died in 2023, is now premiering in the U.S. two years after its release in the U.K.

    The two-time Oscar-winning actress and politician, who starred alongside Michael Caine in The Great Escape, died in June 2023 at the age of 87 at her home in Blackheath, London, after a brief illness. The news was confirmed by her agent, Lionel Larner, in a statement.

    "Glenda Jackson, two-time Academy Award-winning actress and politician, died peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London this morning after a brief illness with her family at her side," Lionel said.

    Her agent also confirmed at the time that Jackson had just finished filming The Great Escaper alongside Michael Caine.

    Born on May 9, 1936, in Cheshire, England, Glenda Jackson had a multifaceted career that spanned the theatre, film and politics.

    Born into a working-class household, Glenda graduated from school at the age of 16 and began working in a pharmacy, according to her IMDb page. She earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London at age 18, and her breakthrough on stage came in 1964 when she portrayed Charlotte Corday in Peter Brook's production of Marat/Sade. She also appeared in the 1967 film version.

    Her theatre career continued with major roles in Rose (1981), Macbeth (1988) and King Lear (2019).

    "You learnt that you are your instrument, which is your voice and your shape and how you move. And that can be tuned and toned and kept in trim, ready to actually tackle acting, which is a mysterious process," Jackson told Colin Grimshaw in a 1976 interview.

    Jackson's theatre career paved the way for film roles, including roles in Women in Love and A Touch of Class, winning Academy Awards for both films. She also won two Emmys for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I (1971).

    Jackson also appeared in roles such as Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), Hedda (1975), The Incredible Sarah (1976) and Hopscotch (1980).

    However, Glenda switched paths and turned to politics.

    "I think the longer you act, the more you realize you don't know. The possibilities for making the wrong choices are much greater than the probabilities of making the right ones. And that sort of fear is something that you probably learn to control better, but it doesn't grow any less, " Jackson told Grimshaw.

    She continued:

    "Certainly, the life of an actress in films is very short. And in the theater, there's a terrible trough when there are no parts worth playing. I mean, until you sort of hit about 60 and then a few sort of cracking character parts. And I really can't see myself hanging around for 20 years waiting to play an old biddy in something."

    An overview of Glenda Jackson's political career.

    Glenda Jackson left acting in 1992 and became a Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate in the 1992 general election, and went on to become Junior Transport Minister under Tony Blaire.

    After serving for almost two decades in Parliament, she reflected in a 2018 interview:

    "I enjoyed the constituency responsibilities. I was extremely fortunate. But I must be honest, I don't miss Parliament itself. I mean, I saw egos going up and down those corridors that would not be tolerated for 30 seconds in a professional theater," she told NPR.

    Glenda stood down in 2015 after more than two decades in the Commons and returned to acting. She appeared in Elizabeth is Missing and Three Tall Women, the latter of which earned her a Tony Award in 2018, among others.

    Speaking about her retirement plans in a 2019 interview on WHYY's Fresh Air, Jackson said:

    "Well, if I don't get offered to work, then I'll be retired... I've had a good run. I like gardening and I'm a grandma, so I get grandma duty, which is an interesting experience."

    Glenda Jackson married theatre director and art dealer Roy Hodges in 1958. The couple welcomed a son before eventually divorcing in 1976.

    TOPICS: The Great Escaper, Glenda Jackson