Dame Dorothy Tutin, one of Britain's most versatile actresses, has died aged 70. The star, whose career on stage and screen spanned more than half a century, died at the Edward VII Hospital in Midhurst, West Sussex in the early hours of this morning. She had been suffering from leukaemia.
Dame Dorothy, who received a CBE in 1967 and was made a Dame in the 2000 New Years Honours List is survived by her husband, Derek Waring and son and daughter Nick and Amanda.
The actress played roles ranging from Peter Pan to Lady Macbeth in a career which spanned half a century of almost continuous stardom. From the very outset, critics praised her talent and sensitivity - Kenneth Tynan hailed the 23-year-old as being "ablaze like a diamond in a mine" for her role in Graham Greene's The Living Room.
However, as a child she had no desire to go on the stage. "I never wanted to act. I didn't like performing at school," she once recalled. Tutin originally wanted to be a pianist, but a performance in a school play persuaded her teachers and father of her talent, and the young girl was encouraged by her parents to pursue a career in theatre.
Tutin eventually got into RADA at the third attempt, but she still wanted to give it up. "I terribly wanted to be good at something and thought I'm not going to be any good as an actress," she remembered.
Her mother convinced her she should stay, but the budding star was still unhappy with the sound of her own voice. Tutin said: "My voice has always been the bane of my life. I had everything wrong with it as a student. And in those days you were given those awful complicated breathing exercises. One was permanently gasping."
She persevered, and after RADA her career blossomed and she became one of the most sought-after actresses in the world. She joined Sir Peter Hall's first company at the RSC and went on to play all Shakespeare's leading ladies.
Her film roles included The Importance of Being Ernest, The Beggar's Opera, A Tale of Two Cities, Cromwell and Savage Messiah, for which she was given the Variety Club of Great Britain film actress award in 1972.
Tutin was always highly critical of her own work. "I find what I do abominable," she once said. "I pick away at myself because I am not as perfect as I would like to be."
Much of her work was on stage, but she also made a number of TV appearances, including the acclaimed Channel 4 series Jake's Progress alongside Robert Lindsay and Julie Walters. She also appeared with great British acting names, including Sir John Gielgud and James Mason in The Shooting Party in 1984.
Paying tribute to his colleague, Sir John Mills said: "She was such a wonderful woman and a brilliant actress. It is very sad news. She was one of our great actresses, one of the best we ever had and she could play almost anything. It is a very great loss."
Adrian Noble, the artistic director of the RSC, said her work would remain an inspiration to future generations. "Her virtuoso performances for the company, especially in the leading Shakespeare roles, will remain an inspiration to all those of us who had the good fortune to see her work.
"Needless to say, we were all saddened by the loss of such a hugely talented and respected member of the British acting establishment."
