Plowright, Joan Ann 1929-
English actress and stage director

She was born in Brigg, Lincolnshire, and trained at the Old Vic Theatre School. In 1956 she became a member of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre, London, where she played opposite Laurence Olivier, whom she married in 1961. She played Jean Rice in John Osborne's The Entertainer (1957), and Beattie in Arnold Wesker's Roots (1959). In 1963 she joined the National Theatre in its first season. A talented classical actress, she is also an accomplished stage director. She has also worked in television and won two Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actress (1993) for the film Enchanted April and the mini-series Stalin (1992). Recent films include On Promised Land (1994) and The Scarlett Letter (1994).