Samantha Eggar, the actress best known for her performances in Doctor Dolittle, Return from the Ashes, The Collector and Disney’s Hercules, has passed away following a five-year illness. She was 86 years old.
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Eggar’s daughter and House of Cards alum Jenna Stern confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter. Stern stated that while her mother struggled with her health for the past five years, the actress lived a “long, fabulous life.”
Born on March 5, 1939, Samantha Eggar went into acting in 1960. She received her big break when fellow actress Natalie Wood turned down the role in the 1965 thriller The Collector. The role earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination and a Golden Globe win.
Following The Collection’s success, Eggar scored other roles in other major projects, including Doctor Dolittle, The Uncanny, The Exterminator, and Curtains. She also appeared in TV shows such as Fantasy Island, Hawaii Five-O, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, and Love Among Thieves.
She became a Disney legend by voicing Hera in the 1997 animated film Hercules.
Eggar went on to act until her retirement in 2012.
The actress is survived by her children, film producer Nicolas and actress Jenna Stern. Both were from her marriage to actor/producer Tom Stern, whom she was married to from 1964 to 1971.
Samantha Eggar Once Reflected About Her Role in ‘The Collector’
While speaking to The Terror Trap in 2014, Samantha Eggar reflected on her role in The Collector.
“Terrence [Stamp] was at [the London drama school] Webber Douglas with me,” she explained. “So we knew each other then. But for the sake of the movie, we never spoke throughout the whole film. He was really that character both off camera and on.”
Eggar further spoke about the connections she had on the thriller’s set. “My biggest relationship on set was with William Wyler and [dialogue coach] Kathleen Freeman,” she said, “A brilliant woman who really got me through The Collector, because it was not… an easy film to make.”
She also pointed out that the tension was both on and off camera. “Oh, yes. And if the tension wasn’t there — if I didn’t exude precisely what he wanted — well, Willie just poured cold water over me.”