Samantha

British actor Samantha Eggar, the Oscar-nominated star of films including “The Collector,” “Doctor Dolittle” and David Cronenberg’s “The Brood,” has died. She was 86.

Eggar died Wednesday evening, her daughter Jenna Stern announced Friday on Instagram. Stern said her mother died “peacefully and quietly surrounded by family” and recalled being by the actor’s side “telling her how much she was loved.” A cause of death was not revealed.

Stern described her mother, who was also a prolific TV actor, as “beautiful, intelligent, and tough enough to be fascinatingly vulnerable.”

Eggar pursued a film career that spanned the 1960s to the 1990s and was most celebrated for her work in “The Collector,” directed by William Wyler. The psychological horror movie, based on John Fowles’ novel of the same name, featured Eggar as the youthful art student abducted by a reclusive young man portrayed by Terence Stamp. For the thriller, Eggar collected the Cannes Film Festival‘s actress prize plus a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.

After the film’s release, Eggar secured numerous roles, notably in the 1967 iteration of “Doctor Dolittle” opposite Rex Harrison, “Walk, Don’t Run” with Cary Grant, “The Molly Maguires” and “The Walking Stick.”

One of Eggar’s most memorable roles was in Cronenberg’s “The Brood,” released in 1979. She starred as Nola Carveth, a mental patient receiving radical psychotherapy treatment amid a series of mysterious murders. The film also starred Oliver Reed and Art Hindle.

Throughout her film career, Eggar also appeared in scores of television series ranging from “Anna and the King” (opposite “The King and I” star Yul Brynner), “Starsky & Hutch,” “The Love Boat” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Her more substantial TV roles included a voice-acting part in the animated series “The Legend of Prince Valiant,” which ran for two seasons, and a stint as Charlotte Devane on the daytime drama “All My Children.”

The actor also lent her voice as Hera in Disney’s “Hercules,” then reprised the role in the animated classic’s spinoff video game and TV series.

Eggar was born March 5, 1939, in Hampstead, London. Her father was a British Army brigadier and her mother served as an ambulance driver during World War II. She studied art and fashion at the Thanet School of Art and pursed acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, according to a statement her daughter shared. Later in life, Eggar returned to the stage, performing “The Lonely Road” at the Old Vic and “The Seagull” at Oxford Playhouse and Theatre Royal, Bath.

She also brought her talents to radio, lending her voice to more than 40 productions for the California Artists Radio Theatre. Eggar was an animal enthusiast and supporter of several environment and health causes.

“Samantha Eggar will be remembered not only for her unforgettable performances but for her generosity, wit, and love of life,” the statement said.

Eggar is survived by her children Nicolas and Jenna, grandchildren Isabel, Charlie and Calla; and sisters Margaret Barron, Toni Maricic, and Vivien Thursby.

SAMANTHA Cameron’s luxury fashion brand Cefinn is set to shut its doors after eight years.

The wife of former PM Lord Cameron said the decision was “very hard”, but admitted industry pressures had made it impossible for the label to stay afloat.

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Cefinn’s next winter collection, launching later this month, will be its final offering.

The brand will continue to trade through its London stores and its website in the coming months, allowing customers to snap up the remaining pieces.

Lady Cameron, who worked in fashion before her move to No10, has had her label celebrated for its stylish yet practical designs for modern women.

It has been worn by both Princess Kate and Queen Camilla.

But retail firms have been hit hard by the Labour Government’s hikes to the minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions in April, as well as the impact of rising business rates.

It comes as plus-size fashion brand Live Unlimited has filed a note of intent to appoint administrators this week.

Public filings reveal that the firm has enlisted advisers from Irwin Mitchell to manage the process.

A note of intent typically gives a retailer ten days before it officially goes bust, although this can be cut shorter if needed.

The label was launched in 2012 and has been stocked online and in-store by both Next and John Lewis.

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SPOONS SPICE

WETHERSPOONS is adding Irish takeaway dish The Spice Bag to its menus in England, Scotland and Wales later this month.

From September 17, punters can enjoy the salt and chilli chicken strips dish, including red onion, chillies and coriander, for £8.99 with a soft drink — or £10.52 with a pint.

Sarah Shaw of the pub chain said: “It has already proven extremely popular with customers in our Republic of Ireland pubs.”

Actress Samantha Womack has opened up on her exit from EastEnders as she revealed it was not her decision to say goodbye to her beloved Ronnie Mitchell role

Samantha Womack has hit out at soap bosses for being “rejected” as she reflected on her exit from EastEnders. The actress, who won over fans with her portrayal of Ronnie Mitchell, made her debut on the BBC soap in 2007.

She appeared alongside Rita Simons, who played her close sister Roxy. Tragically, the beloved sister duo were brutally killed off after Ronnie’s second wedding to Jack Branning.

The decision for both Ronnie and Roxy to bow out of Albert Square came when Sean O’Connor took over as executive producer. Now, Samantha has revealed she felt “rejected” by the new boss as she confessed it was not her or Rita’s decision to leave the soap.

She admitted: “I don’t really understand what happened, one producer was leaving and another was coming in, I don’t know what went on.” Leaving Walford felt like Samantha was “losing a family” as she struggled to come to terms with life without it.

Samantha compared the loss to a “bereavement” and revealed it made her lose “stability”. “But the thing that was the most painful – and it really was painful – was that me and Rita loved feeling like we belonged there,” she told the Daily Mail.

“Then to be rejected, and I know that’s emotional but that’s what it was, it hit us both so hard.” However, Samantha has been able to look at it differently now time has passed.

She said she is now thankful as leaving the soap opened up doors for other opportunities. Since leaving EastEnders, the actress has focused on her theatre career and landed a number of high profile roles.

In 2019, she travelled around the UK for The Girl on the Train and also played Morticia Addams in the musical, The Addams Family. She has since moved to Valencia.

However, things haven’t been easy for Samantha as she underwent gruelling treatment for breast cancer after being diagnosed in August 2022, which has changed her outlook on life.

“I feel so much more enlightened,” she told the Mirror. “I know myself better, I feel humbler, I feel calmer.” Samantha added: “After my year-and-a-half of treatment, I started turning down a lot of stuff – and I didn’t have the bank balance to match that confidence, trust me.”

Having announced she was cancer-free in December 2022, Samantha explained: “It was me saying the word ‘no’ and my bank account creaking.

“But there was empowerment in that because I thought, ‘OK, I need to go through this, spend time with myself and figure out stuff that I’ve never figured out – maybe stuff I’ve buried under a rug.’”

Samantha learned she had a fast-spreading, Grade 3 invasive duct carcinoma and her treatment – a lumpectomy and lymph node removal, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy – couldn’t wait.

The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.

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