British actress Phyllida Law, whose eight-decade career spanned stage, television and film, has died at the age of 94, per theguardian.com. Her personal manager, Jacky Leggo, said Law “died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all her family.”
Law was born in Glasgow in 1932 and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, initially planning to become a stage designer before switching to acting. She appeared in several Bristol Old Vic productions during the 1950s, where she met fellow actor Eric Thompson. The pair married in 1957.
She moved into television in the late 1950s, appearing throughout the 1960s in series including Dr Finlay’s Casebook, Dixon of Dock Green and The Troubleshooters. On stage, she took over from Carole Boyer in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg when it transferred to London’s Comedy Theatre in 1967, starred opposite Alec Guinness in the 1971 premiere of A Voyage Round My Father, and appeared in Alan Bennett’s Habeas Corpus in 1973. She later joined the National Theatre and featured in the first London production of the musical La Cage aux Folles.
From the late 1980s, Law’s film profile grew, often alongside her daughters. She appeared with Emma Thompson in Peter’s Friends and Much Ado About Nothing, both directed by Kenneth Branagh, and with Sophie Thompson in the Gwyneth Paltrow adaptation of Emma. She and Emma Thompson later played mother and daughter in Alan Rickman’s acclaimed directorial debut, The Winter Guest.
Law’s television credits continued into recent decades, including Waking the Dead, Rosemary & Thyme, Foyle’s War, Doc Martin and Agatha Christie’s Poirot, alongside a recurring role in the Stephen Fry comedy drama Kingdom. Her final screen appearance was in the 2020 romance Then Came You, written by and starring Kathie Lee Gifford.
Law was married to Eric Thompson until his death in 1982. She is survived by their daughters, Emma and Sophie Thompson.
•Featured image: Phyllida Law in 2013. Photograph: Pascal Saez/Rex