The Entertainer star Shirley Anne Field dies aged 87

Actress Shirley Anne Field, who starred in The Entertainer and Alfie, has died aged 87.

The screen and stage star died “peacefully” on Sunday surrounded by her family and friends, her representatives confirmed to the PA news agency.

Field was first brought to prominence in the 1960s following her role as Tina Lapford in The Entertainer opposite the late Laurence Olivier.

She went on to have a career which spanned more than five decades including appearing in comedy Alfie alongside Sir Michael Caine and kitchen sink drama Saturday Night And Sunday Morning with the late Albert Finney.

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

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

After her appearance alongside esteemed actor 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 rom-com My Beautiful Laundrette with Sir Daniel Day-Lewis.

She also appeared in the sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine and the 1993 TV miniseries Lady Chatterley.

In more recent years, she starred in the 2014 short drama Beautiful Relics opposite Flora Spencer-Longhurst.

She married racing driver Charles Crichton-Stuart in 1967 and they had a daughter Nicola together before they later divorced. Crichton-Stuart died in 2001.