The Entertainer and Alfie star Shirley Anne Field dead at 87
Posted by  badge Boss on Dec 11, 2023 - 10:37PM
Actress Shirley Anne Field has died aged 87 (Picture: REX)

Actress Shirley Anne Field has died aged 87, her family has announced.

The stage and screen star was brought to prominence in the 1960s following her role in The Entertainer opposite the late Laurence Olivier.

She went on to feature in films including Alfie and Saturday Night And Sunday Morning.

A statement shared by her representative from her family said: ‘It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news that Shirley Anne Field passed away peacefully on Sunday 10 December 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.’

Born in Forest Gate, Newham, on June 27, 1936, Field became known as ‘Shirleyn Broomfield’.

Field started her career as a model before venturing into acting (Picture: Everett/REX/Shutterstock)
Her big break came in the 1960s (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

She initially established herself as a model in the 1950s, later moving into the acting world, featuring in the 1956 comedy Loser Takes All and musical film It’s A Wonderful World.

Her breakout role came in the form of Tina Lapford in The Entertainer in 1960, in which she starred opposite Laurence Olivier.

After her appearance alongside the esteemed actor, her celebrity grew and she went on to star in a string of films, television series, and stage productions.

That same decade, her roles included playing Albert Finney’s on-screen girlfriend in Saturday Night And Sunday Morning.

She starred opposite Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer (Picture: Everett/REX/Shutterstock)
She died peacefully surrounded by her family and friends (Picture: Dan Wooller/REX/Shutterstock)

Among her other hit films were 1962’s The War Lover alongside the late Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner and 1985’s rom-com My Beautiful Laundrette with Daniel Day-Lewis.

Her more recent projects included Doctors, Last Of The Summer Wine, The Bill, and Dalziel And Pascoe. 

Field married Charles Crichton-Stuart in 1967 and they were together until 1970.

She is survived by a son, Nicola Crichton-Stuart.