Pauline Collins Pauline Collins Pauline Collins, (born 3 September 1940), is an English actress of stage, television, and film, who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in "Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971–73) and its spin-off, "Thomas & Sarah" (1979). In 1992, she released her autobiography, titled "Letter to Louise". Collins played the title role in the play "Shirley Valentine", for which she won an Olivier Award in 1988, and Drama Desk and Tony Awards in 1989. She reprised the role in the 1989 film adaptation, winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and receiving Golden Globe and Academy Award
Shirley Valentine (film) to retain the best of Willy Russell's theatrical devices . . . while opening out the action to embrace a big-screen atmosphere. The supporting cast, particularly Bernard Hill as Collins's Neanderthal husband, is equally convincing, with only the hammy Conti (glistening teeth and appalling accent) striking a momentary false note." Among reviewers who found the film banal and hollow, Caryn James of "The New York Times" observed, "By adding all the characters and settings that Shirley only talks about on stage, the film reveals the weakness of Mr. Russell's script as surely as if a magician's clumsy assistant had pointed