Actor helped shape British postwar theatre through her performances at the Royal Court, National Theatre and in the West End

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The actor Joan Plowright, who was celebrated for her long career in theatre and film, has died at the age of 95, her family have announced.

Plowright won acclaim for performances during the early years of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court and the National Theatre when it was based at the Old Vic and led by her second husband, Laurence Olivier.