Jackson, Glenda (1936–)

British actress and politician. Born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, May 9, 1936; dau. of Harry Jackson (building contractor) and Joan Jackson; attended Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; m. Roy Hodges (actor-director), 1958 (div.); children: Daniel.

Distinguished by her flinty personality and intense approach to craft, acted and stage-managed for various repertory companies (1950s); accepted into Royal Shakespeare Company and spent 1st season with the company's experimental Theater of Cruelty (1963); received international acclaim as Charlotte Corday in Marat/Sade (1964); appeared as Masha in The Three Sisters (1967) and Tamara Fanghorn in Fanghorn (1967); on film, appeared in The Music Lovers (1971), Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971), and as Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots (1971), a role she also played in BBC-TV 6-part biography, "Elizabeth R"; on tv, also starred in "The Patricia Neal Story" (1981) and as Elena Bonner in "Sakharov" (1984); on stage, appeared in Collaborators, The Maids and The White Devil; had great success in title role of Stevie (1977), about poet Stevie Smith, and starred in the film (1978); at RSC, starred in Antony and Cleopatra and won acclaim in Rose (1980); also portrayed Lady Macbeth (1988) and Mother Courage (1990); retired from stage (1990); a Socialist, was a parliamentary candidate for Labour Party (1990) and elected a Labour member of Parliament for Hampstead and Highgate (1992); served 7 years in the House of Commons; was also London's junior transport minister under Prime Minister Tony Blair until 1999. Won Academy Awards for Best Actress for Women in Love (1970) and A Touch of Class (1973).

See also Women in World History.