Plowright won a Golden Globe and was Oscar-nominated for her appearance in the 1992 film Enchanted April.
As Lord Olivier’s health declined, his wife accepted her first big-screen role in the 1990 black comedy I Love You to Death, with Kevin Kline and Tracey Ullman.
In 1989, Lord Olivier died of kidney failure , at the age of 82.
A decade later, the actress garnered acclaim in Franco Zeffirelli’s autobiographical 1999 film Tea with Mussolini, alongside her close friends, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
Dame Joan found work a great solace following her husband’s death, appearing in a dozen films between 2000 and 2010.
They included 2003’s I Am David, about a boy who escapes a gulag in Bulgaria, and the comedy Bringing Down the House, starring Steve Martin, from the same year.
However, she clearly saw the silver screen as a poor cousin of the theatre.
“One can’t pretend that most film dialogue is all that challenging,” she said. “You do films if the roof needs mending.”
As if in agreement, the theatre in her native Scunthorpe renamed itself in her honour.
