Camilla Jessen
British acting icon Jane Lapotaire dies at 81.
Jane Lapotaire, the acclaimed British actress known for her roles in The Crown and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 81.
Lapotaire died on March 5, according to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
A spokesperson said: “We are saddened to hear of the death of Jane Lapotaire. A truly brilliant actress her RSC credits include Piaf, winning her TONY & Olivier awards, & Gertrude opposite Kenneth Branagh in Adrian Noble’s Hamlet.”
No cause of death has been publicly announced.
Six decades in acting
Lapotaire was born Jane Burgess on December 26, 1944, in Ipswich, England.
She was given up for adoption as a baby and spent much of her early childhood living with a foster mother.
Her passion for acting began at age 17, and she later trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1961 to 1963. Her professional acting career began on stage in 1965 when she appeared in When We Are Married at the Bristol Old Vic.
Lapotaire went on to build a career spanning more than six decades across theatre, film, and television.
She gained international recognition in 1980 when she won a Tony Award for her performance as singer Edith Piaf in the stage production Piaf.
Many viewers remember Lapotaire for her appearances in major British television dramas.
She portrayed Princess Alice of Battenberg in season three of The Crown.
She also appeared in Downton Abbey, playing Princess Irina Kuragin in the show’s fifth season.
Health struggle
In 2000, Lapotaire suffered a brain hemorrhage that left her seriously ill.
After a long recovery, she returned to acting and later wrote books reflecting on her life and career.
Only weeks before her death, Lapotaire was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by the King for her services to drama.
The ceremony marked her final public appearance.
She is survived by her son, filmmaker Rowan Joffe, whom she shared with her former husband Roland Joffe.
Sources: Royal Shakespeare Company, The Sun
