Jane Lapotaire

Jane Lapotaire Headshot

Actress

Birth Name: Jane Elizabeth Marie Burgess

Birth Date: December 26, 1944

Death Date: March 5, 2026 — 81 years old

Birth Place: Ipswich, Suffolk, England, UK

Spouses: Roland Joffé

An acclaimed British actress noted for her portrayals of high-strung females, Jane Lapotaire has more or less concentrated on the stage but has offered memorable turns in features and TV programs. Born and raised in Ipswitch, she was trained for the stage at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, joining their company in 1965. After two seasons, Lapotaire moved to the newly-formed National Theatre where she distinguished herself in secondary roles.

She moved up to leading lady as one of the co-founders of the Young Vic Theatre, undertaking Katherine in "The Taming of the Shrew" and Jocasta in "Oedipus" (both 1970-71). After a decade spent playing leads in many of Shakespeare's comedies, Lapotaire landed the breakthrough role of Edith Piaf in Pam Gems' acclaimed "Piaf." Fully capturing the petite chanteuse, she earned numerous accolades and traveled to the USA to recreate the role on Broadway in 1981. (The show was filmed and aired in syndication.)

Since her acclaimed turn, she has continued to create finely etched characters in plays as varied as "Shadowlands" (1989-90), "Ghosts" (1993) and "Henry VIII" (1998). After a bit role in the biopic "Isadora" (1968), Lapotaire made an impression as the doomed French maid in the thriller "Crescendo" (1969). She again played a servant, this time the handmaiden Charmian to Hildegard Neff's Queen of the Nile in Charlton Heston's film adaptation of "Antony and Cleopatra" (1971).

Among her other occasional forays into film are the title role in the 1977 TV biopic "Marie Curie," the alcoholic wife of a wealthy man (Gene Hackman) in "Eureka" (1983), a troubled Mary Tudor in "Lady Jane" (1986) and the Russian-born wife of the phlegmatic artist in "Surviving Picasso" (1996). Jane Lapotaire died on March 5, 2026 in United Kingdom at the age of 81.

Credits

Ibsen

Voice
Aline Solness
Show
2026

Napoleone e Giuseppina: una storia d'amore

Actor
Show
2025

Smyrna

Actor
Filio Williams
Movie
2021

Princess Alice: The Royals' Greatest Secret

Self
Show
2020

The Young Messiah

Actor
Sarah
Movie
2016

Lucan

Actor
Susan Maxwell-Scott
Show
2013

Royal Shakespeare Company: Richard II

Actor
Duchess of Gloucester
Show
2013

EndeavourStream

Actor
Madame Belasco
Series
2013
90%

Drama on 4

Voice
Show
2012

Downton AbbeyStream

Actor
Princess Irina
Series
2010
92%

Can't Stop Breathing

Actor
Daisy
Movie
2005

The Inspector Lynley MysteriesStream

Actor
Fiona Deakin-jones
Series
2001

There's Only One Jimmy Grimble

Actor
Old Woman
Movie
2000

Windsor Restored

Narrator
Show
1997

Ain't Misbehavin'

Actor
Clara Van Trapp
Show
1997

Florie by Colette

Narrator
Show
1997

Midsomer MurdersStream

Actor
Mary Mohan
Series
1997

Shooting Fish

Actor
Dylan's Headmistress
Movie
1997

Surviving Picasso

Actor
Olga Picasso
Movie
1996

Giving Tongue

Actor
Hilda Jacob
Movie
1996

Bertie and the Crime of Passion

Voice
Sarah Bernhardt
Show
1995

Simisola

Actor
Anouk Khoori
Movie
1995

Love Hurts

Actor
Show
1994

Dead Water

Actor
Elspeth Cost
Movie
1993

The Big Battalions

Actor
Martha Hoyland
Show
1992

Inspector Alleyn

Actor
Elspeth Cost
Show
1990

Chillers

Actor
Show
1990

The Dark Angel

Actor
Madame de la Rougierre
Movie
1989

Murder by Moonlight

Actor
Louise Mackey
Movie
1989

Blind Justice

Actor
Katherine Hughes
Show
1988

Lady Jane la Reina Adolescente

Actor
Movie
1986

Lady Jane

Actor
Princess Mary
Movie
1986

Seal Morning

Actor
Miriam Spencer
Movie
1985

Macbeth

Actor
Lady Macbeth
Movie
1983

To Catch a King

Actor
Irene Neumann
Movie
1983

The Captain's Doll

Actor
Evangeline
Movie
1983

Eureka

Actor
Helen McCann
Movie
1983

The Shakespeare Plays

Actor
Cleopatra
Show
1978

The Devil's Crown

Actor
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Show
1978

Crown Court

Actor
Juliet Tomlin
Show
1972

Van der ValkStream

Actor
Elly
Series
1972

The Horror of Death

Actor
Christina Cunningham
Movie
1972

The Asphyx

Actor
Christina Cunningham
Movie
1972

Crescendo

Actor
Lillianne
Movie
1972

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

Actor
Show
1971

Callan

Actor
Kristina
Show
1967

Sherlock Holmes

Actor
Annie Harrison
Series
1964

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