Jane Lapotaire, a well-known actress from stage and television including roles in The Crown and Downton Abbey, has passed away at the age of 81.
The Guardian reports that the actress died on 5 March. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
The Royal Shakespeare Company honored Lapotaire on Thursday, calling her a remarkably talented actress.
Lapotaire began his television career with a 1968 appearance in Sherlock Holmes, and later had roles in popular shows like Casualty, Midsomer Murders, and Lucan.
She became widely recognized after playing Marie Curie in the 1977 BBC mini-series about the scientist’s life.
She also appeared in Downton Abbey as Princess Kuragin in 2014 and played Princess Alice of Battenberg in The Crown in 2019.
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From 1961 to 1963, Lapotaire studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He then joined the Bristol Old Vic company in 1965, and later the National Theatre in 1967.
In 1974, she began performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, taking on roles like Viola in Twelfth Night and Lady Macduff in Macbeth.
I remember when I first heard about Penelope Lapotaire – it was when she played Édith Piaf on stage! She absolutely blew everyone away in Pam Gems’s play for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and she deservedly won an Olivier Award in 1979. But it didn’t stop there – the production went to Broadway, and she won a Tony Award too! It was a truly iconic performance, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
She continued to excel on stage, taking on iconic roles in productions like Master Class, Hamlet, Shadowlands, Dear Anyone, Antigone, Venice Preserved, Ghosts, and Henry VIII. She also performed a celebrated one-woman show titled Shakespeare As I Knew Her.
In 2000, actress Lapotaire experienced a brain hemorrhage while leading a Shakespeare workshop. After more than ten years, she returned to performing on stage in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Richard II, which featured David Tennant.
Lapotaire received a CBE in 2025 and recently accepted the honor at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.
The Royal Shakespeare Company expressed their sadness at the passing of Jane Lapotaire, an Honorary Associate Artist of the company.
I’ve always been captivated by Jane’s incredible talent. I remember hearing about her early days with the Royal Shakespeare Company – she was phenomenal as Viola in Twelfth Night back in 1974! But it was her portrayal of Piaf, the singer, that really blew me away. She completely embodied the role and rightfully earned both Olivier and Tony Awards for it – a truly deserved recognition of her brilliance.
In 1992, she acted alongside Kenneth Branagh as Gertrude in a production of Hamlet directed by Adrian Noble. She later returned to the company in 2013, playing the Duchess of Gloucester with David Tennant in Greg Doran’s version of Richard II, and again in 2015 as Queen Isobel in Henry V, also directed by Greg Doran.
“Our thoughts are with Jane’s family and friends.”
Authors
Molly Moss writes about the newest happenings in television, movies, and other entertainment for TopMob. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has also contributed to major publications like The Guardian, The Times, and The Sun Online.
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2026-03-13 15:04