The Shirley Valentine actor Pauline Collins has died aged 85, her family has announced.

She died peacefully, and surrounded by her family, in her care home in Highgate, north London, having had Parkinson’s disease for several years, they said.

She starred in the first series of the BBC sitcom The Liver Birds but did not become a household name until getting a regular role in Upstairs, Downstairs in 1971. She married fellow actor John Alderton in 1969. Her role in the 1989 film Shirley Valentine earned her an Oscar nomination.

Her family said in a statement: “Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens.

Collins with Tom Conti in Shirley Valentine. Photograph: Paramount/Allstar

“She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine – a role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them.

“More than anything, though, she was our loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma. Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us. And she was John (Alderton)’s lifelong love. A partner, work collaborator, and wife of 56 years.

“We particularly want to thank her carers: angels who looked after her with dignity, compassion, and most of all love. She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her.”

More details soon …