Joan Plowright was educated in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. She made her first professional appearance aged 19 at the Croydon Rep. She made her name in Arnold Wesker's Roots, then went on to London's Royal Court Theatre in its 1950s heyday. Since then she has starred on both sides of the Atlantic and in recent years worked increasingly in films (most recently 101 Dalmatians and Tea With Mussolini) winning two Golden Globe Awards. Her three children, all involved in the theatre.
