The Remarkable Career of Glenda Jackson – From Oscar Winning Actress to MP and Back to the Stage Again

　　A while ago, I watched several episodes of the TV series “The Biography of Elizabeth I” on BBC 4, which was filmed by the BBC in 1971 and told the story of the Tudor court struggle. The scenes of the TV series are simple, the colors are not bright enough, and the flavor of the stage play is heavy, but the script and performance are very exciting. The actor who plays the protagonist Elizabeth I in the play is called Glenda Jackson, who has been acting from a young girl to an old woman. Later, I happened to see the Glenda Jackson feature in the talk show “Cultural Life” filmed by the BBC last year, and realized that this actress has a lot of background. The wonderful thing is that she did two completely different things at different stages of her life. Things: From famous actor to outspoken politician and back on stage again.
　　Jackson was born in a poor family in the suburbs of Liverpool. He became interested in acting when he was a teenager. After working for two years, he won a scholarship to study at the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). He soon began to participate in theater performances and experienced the difficulties of doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Days later, performance opportunities gradually increased. In 1969, she starred in the movie “Woman in Love” based on DH Lawrence’s novel of the same name. It was a great success and won the Academy Award for Best Actress that year. After that, her acting career became more and more active. “The Biography of Elizabeth I” won her an Emmy Award for Best Actress. In 1973, she starred in the movie “The Dream of the Golden House” and won an Oscar again.
　　She joined the Labor Party at the age of 16 and became politically active in between her acting careers before leaving to pursue full-time politics in 1991. She said that she saw that Britain was being destroyed by Margaret Thatcher’s policies at that time, and she was willing to use any legal means to fight. In the 1992 general election, Jackson represented the Labor Party from the Conservative Party and won a seat in the suburbs of London, starting her 23-year MP career. During this period, she has been outspoken and has repeatedly criticized the policies of the Labor Party Prime Minister Blair, including resolutely opposing the invasion of Iraq, etc., but at the same time she also opposed the radicals within the Labor Party.
　　When she retired from politics in 2015, she was 79 years old. But she did not retire from then on, but returned to the acting industry. In the second year, she played the role of King Lear in Shakespeare’s play “King Lear”, which was highly praised. In 2018, she starred in “Three Tall Women” on Broadway in New York and won the Tony Award for Best Actress, becoming one of the rare actors who has won the Best Actress Award in the top awards of American film, television and drama. In 2019, she starred in the BBC TV series again, playing the heroine struggling with senile dementia in “Elizabeth is Missing”, and won the British Academy of Film and Television Award (BAFTA) Best Actress Award. Glenda Jackson passed away in June of this year.
　　In the UK, well-known actors who are actively involved in political activities are not uncommon, such as Emma Thompson who served as the screenwriter and heroine in “Sense and Sensibility” directed by Ang Lee, and Hugh Grant, who is famous for his handsome image, etc. The two actors also played the British Prime Minister and his sister in the film “Love Actually”. Among the younger generation is Emma Watson, who starred in “Harry Potter”, but few actors are as good as Jackson He was very popular, but at the peak of his acting career, he devoted himself to politics and became a member of parliament. Vanessa Redgrave is somewhat similar to Jackson. She has achieved a high level of acting career, won top awards in film, television and drama, and has been a left-wing activist since the 1960s. Participated in political activities, and also organized parties to participate in the British general election many times but failed.
　　Glenda Jackson has not forgotten her impoverished origins after her successful acting career and turned it into a driving force to change the world. However, after many years in politics, she returned to the stage to shine. Such a wonderful life, It can be called an anomaly. In addition to lamenting her high ability, we have to admit that politics and the stage are her true love.