AceShowbiz - Jane Lapotaire, the acclaimed British stage actress celebrated for her award-winning portrayal of Edith Piaf on Broadway, passed away on March 5 in the United Kingdom. She was 81 years old. The news was confirmed by The Guardian, though no cause of death was revealed.

Jane Lapotaire was a significant figure in British theatre and television, co-founding London's The Young Vic theatre in 1970 alongside luminaries such as Laurence Olivier. Her television career featured diverse roles including portrayals of Marie Curie, Cleopatra, and Princess Alice of Greece in two episodes of the 2019 series The Crown.

Her defining moment came with the title role in Pam Gems' musical Piaf on Broadway. This performance earned her the 1981 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, following her Olivier Award for the same role in London’s West End two years earlier. In winning the Tony, she surpassed renowned contenders including Glenda Jackson (Rose), Eva Le Gallienne (To Grandmother's House We Go), and Elizabeth Taylor (The Little Foxes).

Following her Broadway success, Lapotaire ventured into Hollywood but later expressed regret over this decision, reflecting in interviews about the challenges she faced at age 40 when she became acutely aware of not fitting the conventional standards of glamour.

Her theatrical career in the UK was marked by performances at prestigious venues such as the Bristol Old Vic, the National Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2025, Lapotaire was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and attended the investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle the previous month.

Born on December 26, 1944, in Ipswich, Suffolk, Jane Lapotaire trained at the Bristol Old Vic before joining the National Theatre under Olivier’s direction in 1967. She became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974, solidifying her place in British theatre.

Her extensive stage credits include significant roles in The Homecoming, The Taming of the Shrew, Oedipus, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, Shadowlands, and Hamlet, where she performed opposite Kenneth Branagh. She also toured as Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's Master Class. In 2000, during this tour, she suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage, an experience she later detailed in her 2003 memoir Time Out of Mind.

After undergoing surgeries and recovery, Lapotaire resumed her acting career with appearances on television series such as Casualty (2009), Downton Abbey (2014), and her notable role in The Crown (2019). In 2020, she portrayed Granny in Netflix’s adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, starring Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Armie Hammer.

Jane Lapotaire’s filmography includes roles in Antony and Cleopatra (1972), Lady Jane (1986), James Ivory’s Surviving Picasso (1996), Shooting Fish (1997), and The Young Messiah (2016).

Lapotaire is survived by her son Rowan Joffé, whom she had with director Roland Joffé. The couple was married from 1974 until their divorce in 1980.