Pauline Collins

Pauline Collins (born 3rd September 1940) appeared in three consecutive 1966 episodes of the Coronation Street spin-off Pardon The Expression (The two-part Thunderfinger and The Switched-on Scene) as the separate characters of Miss Wainwright and Valerie Wilkins.

Born in Devon, she became an actress after a short career as a school-teacher. Early successes were on the stage, including the West End. She appeared in Emergency - Ward 10 and Doctor Who before gaining her first major exposure in the first series of The Liver Birds in 1969. Two years later she became a household name with her spirited portrayal of the maid Sarah Moffatt in the first two seasons of Upstairs Downstairs (a role she returned to eight years later in Thomas and Sarah).

Further television roles followed with No, Honestly and Wodehouse Playhouse but her biggest success was in 1988 with her one-woman performance in Shirley Valentine written by Willy Russell (the premiere two years previously in Liverpool had starred Coronation Street actress and director Noreen Kershaw). Collins recreated the part on Broadway and in a film version a year later. For these she gained a Tony Award and an Oscar nomination, both for Best Actress. This led to other film role such as City of Joy and Paradise Road.

She continues to perform to acclaim on film, stage and television.