Oscar-Nominated Actress Dies at 86

Hollywood is mourning the loss of Samantha Eggar, the Oscar-nominated British actress who dazzled audiences across decades — from 1965’s The Collector to Doctor Dolittle, and even voice roles in Hercules and the James Bond video game series. She was 86.

Eggar passed away peacefully at her home in Sherman Oaks, California, a representative for her daughter, actress Jenna Stern, confirmed. Stern — known for her work on House of Cards — told The Hollywood Reporter that her mother “lived a long, fabulous life,” despite facing health challenges over the past five years.

Born in London, Eggar began her career on British television before bursting onto the big screen in 1963’s Doctor in Distress. Just two years later, she earned an Academy Award nomination for her haunting performance as Miranda Grey — an art student kidnapped by a disturbed man — in The Collector opposite Terence Stamp.

In a 2014 interview, Eggar recalled the intensity of that shoot. “Terence was at drama school with me, but for the sake of the movie, we never spoke throughout the whole film,” she said. “He really was that character, both off camera and on. My biggest relationship on set was with [director] William Wyler and dialogue coach Kathleen Freeman, who really got me through it.”

Eggar followed her breakout role with a string of hits, including Return from the Ashes (1965), Walk, Don’t Run (1966), Doctor Dolittle (1967), and The Molly Maguires (1970).

“I loved making Doctor Dolittle, absolutely loved it,” she once said, adding that she filmed while pregnant with her daughter Jenna. “I got on terribly well with Rex [Harrison]. He had a wicked sense of humor — he could be cruel, yes, but he made me laugh so many times.”

By the 1970s, Eggar had found a balance between motherhood and her career. She appeared in TV favorites like Baretta and Love Story while earning cult status in horror classics such as The Dead Are Alive and The Uncanny.

In later years, Eggar’s distinct voice made her a favorite in animation and gaming — she voiced Hera in Hercules (1987) and “M” in the James Bond video game series.

In the 1990s, Eggar continued to take on diverse projects including Dark Horse, The Phantom, and The Astronaut’s Wife. She later joined the cast of All My Children as Charlotte Devane and made her final screen appearance in 2012, voicing a character on Metalocalypse.

Eggar is survived by her daughter Jenna, her son Nicolas Stern, three sisters, and three grandchildren.

Her family asks that donations be made in her memory to The Cousteau Society, the World Wildlife Fund, the ALS Association, the National Kidney Foundation, or the British Olympic Association.

Stern summed up her mother’s legacy perfectly: “She lived a long, fabulous life — and she truly loved every minute of it.”