Part of an astonishing generation of British actors, including Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins and Maggie Smith, Plowright won a Tony Award, two Golden Globes and nominations for an Oscar and an Emmy.

Joan Plowright, the celebrated English actor whose career included the films 'Enchanted April,' 'The Entertainer' and 'Spiderwick Chronicles,' has died at 95.

Joan Ann Plowright was born on 29 October 1929 in Brigg, Lincolnshire. Her mother, Daisy, was a keen amateur actor and by the age of three, her daughter had taken to the stage. She went to Scunthorpe Grammar School before studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic.