Glenda Jackson: former Labour MP and Oscar-winning actress' political career explained

As the public mourn the tragic death of Oscar-winning actress and former Labour Party MP Glenda Jackson, fans reminisce about her many achievements that filled an exciting and inspiring life - not just on screen, but in the world of politics.

Jackson died at the age of 89 at the age of 89 on Thursday (15 June), her agent has confirmed. The movie star passed away at her home in Blackheath, south east London as a result of "a brief illness".

Jackson's agent, Lionel Larner said in a statement: "Glenda Jackson, two-time Academy Award-winning actress and politician, died peacefully at her home in Blackheath, London this morning after a brief illness with her family at her side. She recently completed filming The Great Escaper in which she co-starred with Michael Caine".

On the acting side, Jackson enjoyed an illustrious career where she won two Oscars for performances in The Women In Love (1969) and A Touch of Class (1973) as well as two further Academy Award nominations. Other credits include blockbuster hits Sunday Bloody Sunday and Mary Queen of Scots, both of which were released in 1971.

After taking a break from the world of showbiz, she ventured into the mysterious and controversial political sphere briefly, but what did she get up to and achieve? Here is everything you need to know.

Glenda Jackson political timeline

You would be amiss to think that Jackson's passion for politics grew later in life, as before her love for theatre and performing she was a member of the Labour Party. She joined the political group when she was just 16-years-old in the early 1950s.

Her first major political ventures took place in 1978 when she stood as a public figure to sponsor the Anti-Nazi League, as well as appearing in print advertisement for Oxfam and becoming the executive of the National Association of Voluntary Hostels speaking for charities like Shelter.

As a socialist and widely considered to be a traditional left-winger, one of Jackson's main areas of interest were human rights, joining a number of demonstrations and increasing her involvement in children's charities. She famously became president of the Toy Libraries Association and narrated programmes for UNICEF, including being a vocal supporter of the National Abortion Campaign.

Her standing in Labour grew considerably over time, as it is believed that she was offered and subsequently turned down a number of opportunities to run at various general elections, such as the Welsh seat of Bridgend which she rejected in 1983 to prioritise a humanities degree at Thames Polytechnic. She had also been approached to succeed MPs in Leeds, but finally decided to run in late 1989 for Hampstead and Highgate, winning over the local party and triumphing in the ballot.

She decided to retire from acting to pursue a full-time political career in 1991 as a prospective parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Highgate. Despite losing the 1992 election, Labour's landslide victory in 1997 saw her comfortably re-elected and saw her appointed as junior minister as part of Tony Blair's UK government with a responsibility for transport in London.

Jackson resigned from the post in 1999 and then led an unsuccessful attempt to become the Mayor of London in 2000. Famously she was one of the most vocal critics of Blair and the Iraq War, with her name one of 12 Labour MPs to back calls for an inquiry.

Her final re-election was for the new Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in 2010. She announced that it would be her last term, saying in a statement: "I will be almost 80 and by then it will be time for someone else to have a turn."