Jane Lapotaire

Jane Elizabeth Marie Lapotaire was an English actress from Suffolk, known for stage and screen work. Her lead performance in Marie Curie in 1977 first brought her wide attention. Jane Lapotaire appears nude in Crescendo, in a scene that begins with her in underwear. She was born on 26 December 1944 in Suffolk and died on 5 March 2026. Her signature role was Édith Piaf in Pam Gems's play Piaf for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1978. The show reached Broadway two years later, and she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She later played the Duchess of Gloucester in Richard II in 2013 and Queen Isobel in Henry V in 2015. She also wrote three memoirs and was married to director Roland Joffé.