28 Oct 1929 - 16 Jan 2025 (95 years)

Joan Ann Plowright Olivier, Baroness Olivier, commonly known as Dame Joan Plowright, was an English actress whose career spanned over six decades.

She received several accolades including two Golden Globe Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
She was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.

The Plowright Theatre in Scunthorpe is named in Plowright's honour. Plowright was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 New Year Honours and was promoted to Dame Commander of the same Order (DBE) in the 2004 New Year Honours. In her obituary, Variety described her as "perhaps the greatest Anglophone actor of the 20th century".

Plowright's vision declined steadily during the late 2000s and early 2010s due to macular degeneration. In 2014 she officially announced her retirement from acting because she had become legally blind. Plowright died at Denville Hall in Northwood, London, on 16 January 2025, aged 95.