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Alfie star Shirley Anne Field dies aged 87

Shirley Anne Field, pictured in 2004 Photo: Press Association
Shirley Anne Field, pictured in 2004 Photo: Press Association

The 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 as Tina Lapford in The Entertainer opposite the late Laurence Olivier.

She went on to feature in films including the comedy Alfie alongside Michael Caine and the kitchen sink drama Saturday Night and Sunday Morning with the late Albert Finney.

Shirley Anne Field as Carla in Alfie (1966) Photo: Getty Images

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 London on 27 June 1936, Field first established herself as a model in the 1950s.

Shirley Anne Field and Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer (1960)

She later moved into the acting world, featuring in the 1956 comedy Loser Takes All and the musical film It's a Wonderful World.

After her appearance alongside acting legend Olivier, her celebrity grew and she went on to star in a string of films, television series, and stage productions.

Among the hit films were 1962's The War Lover alongside the late Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner and 1985's comedy-drama My Beautiful Laundrette with Daniel Day-Lewis.

Source: Press Association

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