Miss Marple actress Geraldine McEwan dies aged 82
By Nicola Harley6:09PM GMT 31 Jan 2015

Actress Geraldine McEwan, known for playing Agatha Christie sleuth Miss Marple on television, has died aged 82, her family said.



McEwan starred in the role of Agatha Christie's spinster consultant detective Jane Marple in 12 films aired on ITV.
The Bafta award winner had a long and successful career in theatre, television and films which saw her work with the likes of Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Williams.
Her son Greg and daughter Claudia said in a statement: "Following a stroke at the end of October and a period in hospital, Geraldine McEwan passed away peacefully on January 30.
"Her family would like to thank the staff at Charing Cross Hospital who cared for her incredibly well."

She starred along side Laurence Olivier in numerous stage plays, including Love for Love, The Entertainer, The Dance of Death, and A Flea in Her Ear. Geraldine originated the female role in Joe Orton's Loot.
Her film work includes The Dance of Death with Laurence Olivier, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with Alan Rickman, Henry V and Love's Labour's Lost, both with Kenneth Branagh, Vanity Fair, and The Magdalene Sisters.
In 2004, McEwan was chosen as the new Agatha Christie sleuth, Jane Marple and filmed twelve two hour mysteries before retiring from the role in 2008.
She said at the time: "Of course, it is terribly disappointing to have to pass the baton on, but it has been a marvellous experience to inhabit this role for the last few years, and I am sure that my successor, whomever she may be, will thoroughly enjoy her time with the production team - and with the extraordinarily talented group of writers and actors that they come up with for each series.
"It's been an absolute pleasure to work on Miss Marple since 2003, and I leave with fond memories."
McEwan was born in Old Windsor, England and made her theatre debut at the age of 14 at the Theatre Royal in Windsor.
By the age of 18 she was starring in London's West End in several long-running popular productions.
During the 1950's she acted with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1961.
In 1976 she had the distinction of being nominated for an Olivier Award in two separate categories.
She won the BAFTA Best Actress Award in 1991 for her performance as the Mother in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and in 1995 she won the Evening Standard Best Actress Award for her performance of Lady Wishfort in The Way of the World.