British actress Samantha Eggar, Oscar-nominated star of films such as “The Collector,” “Doctor Dolittle” and David Cronenberg’s “The Brood,” has died. She was 86 years old.
Eggar died Wednesday night, his daughter Jenna Stern announced Friday on Instagram. Stern said his mother died “in peace and quiet surrounded by family” and recalled being by the actor’s side “telling her how much they loved her.” The cause of death was not revealed.
Stern described his mother, who was also a prolific television actress, as “beautiful, intelligent and strong enough to be fascinatingly vulnerable.”
Eggar pursued a film career that spanned the 1960s and 1990s and was most famous for her work on “The Collector,” directed by William Wyler. The psychological horror film, based on the novel of the same name by John Fowles, featured Eggar as the young art student kidnapped by a lonely young man played by Terence Stamp. For the thriller, Eggar received the Cannes Film Festival Actress Award, as well as a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.
After the film's release, Eggar landed numerous roles, notably in the 1967 version 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 played 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 his film career, Eggar also appeared in dozens 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 major television roles included a voice acting role on 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 actress also voiced Hera in Disney's “Hercules,” and later reprized the role in the video game and television series spin-offs of the animated classic.
Eggar was born on March 5, 1939 in Hampstead, London. His father was a brigadier in the British Army and his mother served as an ambulance driver during World War II. She studied art and fashion at Thanet School of Art and studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts, according to a statement shared by her daughter. Later in life, Eggar returned to the stage, performing “The Lonely Road” at the Old Vic and “The Seagull” at the Oxford Playhouse and Theater Royal, Bath.
He also brought his talents to radio, lending his voice to more than 40 productions for California Artists Radio Theatre. Eggar was an animal enthusiast and supporter of various environmental and health causes.
“Samantha Eggar will be remembered not only for her unforgettable performances but also for her generosity, wit and love of life,” the statement said.
Eggar is survived by his children Nicolas and Jenna, his grandchildren Isabel, Charlie and Calla; and sisters Margaret Barron, Toni Maricic and Vivien Thursby.
