British actress Samantha Eggar has died at the age of 86. Her daughter, actress Jenna Stern, told The Hollywood Reporter that Eggar passed away on Wednesday at her home in Sherman Oaks.
Best known for her roles in *Doctor Dolittle* and *The Collector*, Eggar had been battling illness for the past five years but “lived a long, fabulous life,” Stern said.
Born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar on March 5, 1939, in Hampstead, England, she was raised in the Buckinghamshire countryside. During World War II, Eggar lived in the countryside with family friends and spent 12 years in a convent. It was there that her love of the arts blossomed as she was exposed to plays, concerts, and poetry.
Although she earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, her mother did not want her to pursue acting. Instead, Eggar was allowed to attend art school to study painting and drawing, eventually working as a fashion artist after graduation.
Her career took a turn when her cousin encouraged her to enroll at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts. “He said, ‘Here’s the door. Get in there. Go and do it,’” Eggar once recalled. “‘Do those bits you’ve done. You’ve got your own version of Ophelia. And you’ve got some poems you’ve learned.’ So I did. And the next thing I know, I’m accepted.”
Before completing the program at Webber Douglas, Eggar was offered a role in Cecil Beaton’s play *Landscape With Figures* in 1959, about painter Thomas Gainsborough. Producer Betty E. Box soon noticed her and cast her as a college coed in *Young and Willing* (1962). This was followed by roles in *Doctor in Distress* (1963), *Dr. Crippen* (1963), and *Psyche 59* (1964).
In 1965, Eggar landed the role of Miranda Grey in William Wyler’s psychological horror film *The Collector*, opposite Terence Stamp. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where both Eggar and Stamp won Best Actress and Best Actor awards, respectively. That same year, Eggar won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, though the Oscar went to Julie Christie for *Darling*.
Throughout the 1960s, Eggar appeared in numerous films, including *Return From the Ashes*, *Walk, Don’t Run*, and *Doctor Dolittle*.
In 1972, Eggar moved to Los Angeles to further her acting career. She starred opposite Yul Brynner in the CBS television adaptation of *The King and I* and played Phyllis Dietrichson in the 1973 ABC remake of *Double Indemnity*.
Her extensive filmography also includes *Ragin’ Cajun*, *Dark Horse*, *Inevitable Grace*, *The Phantom*, *The Astronaut’s Wife*, *The Seven-Per-Cent Solution*, *The Dead Are Alive!*, *A Name for Evil*, *The Uncanny*, *Curtains*, *The Brood*, as well as appearances on TV series like *Star Trek: The Next Generation* and *Commander in Chief*.
Beyond acting, Eggar was deeply involved in her community as a lector and lay minister at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills and at Saint Francis de Sales Parish in Sherman Oaks. She led weekly meditations there until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eggar was married to American actor Tom Stern from 1964 until their divorce in 1971. Stern passed away last year.
Her family also shared fond memories of her love for animals: “To know Sam was to understand her love for animals, all creatures great and small. Her beloved pups ranged from Great Danes to Dalmatians, street rescues to her adored bulldogs, their leashes still hanging in memoriam long after their passing.”
Samantha Eggar leaves behind a legacy of remarkable performances and a life filled with passion for the arts and compassion for all living beings.
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