Alfie actress Shirley Anne Field dies as family share 'great sadness'

11 December 2023 , 16:32

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Alfie and Last of the Summer Wine star Shirley Anne Field dies as family pay tribute

The Entertainer actress Shirley Anne Field has died at the age of 87.

Her family confirmed the sad news in a statement which read: "It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news that Shirley Anne Field passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 10 2023, surrounded by her family and friends.

“Shirley Anne will be greatly missed and remembered for her unbreakable spirit and her amazing legacy spanning more than five decades on stage and screen.”

The iconic actress was born in Essex and was the third of four children. By the age of six years old, she was placed in a children's home near Bolton and was moved to another children's home a couple of years later. When she was a teenager, she moved to a children's home hostel in London and trained as a typist while still attending school.

Shirley died aged 87

She was surrounded by her friends and family

The star previously discussed growing up in children's homes, telling MailOnline: "I grew up in children's homes. I finally met my mother again when I was 38 and discovered my whole other family - three lovely American half-sisters. My mother lived to 98. She had a lot of stamina."

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At one point, before she became an actress, she took a course at the Lucie Clayton School and Model Agency and became a model for pin-up magazines.

It wasn't long before Bill Watts, who ran a theatrical agency, spotted her and brought her in for small roles. Her first appearance in movies was as an extra in Simon and Laura in 1955. She had other small roles in All For Mary, Lost, Yield to the Night, It's Never Too Late and It's a Wonderful World.

Her first big role was in 1959's Horrors of the Black Museum as well as Peeping Tom. It wasn't until 1960 that she had her breakthrough role in The Entertainer, where she played the role of model Tina Lapford. The movie also starred Laurence Olivier. She went on to feature in films including Alfie and Saturday Night And Sunday Morning.

Other roles included Lunch Hour, The Damned, Kings of the Sun, The Wedding March, Doctor in Clover and Hell is Empty. In the 70s and 80s, Shirley took on roles in My Beautiful Laundrette, Shag, Getting It Right and Hear My Song.

In 1967, Shirley married aristocratic RAF pilot and racing driver Charles Crichton-Stuart. The two welcomed a daughter two years later. However, in the late 70s, their marriage fell apart and the two got a divorce.

Zara Woodcock