Samantha Eggar, the British actress known for her role as Emma Fairfax in Doctor Dolittle (1967), passed away at the age of 86 on October 15, 2025. She breathed her last at her home in Sherman Oaks, as her daughter, actress Jenna Stern, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Eggar reportedly was struggling with an illness for the past five years, but as Stern remarked, she lived a long, fabulous life. She was born on March 5, 1939, in London and was best known for her roles during the 1960s and 1970s.
Over her career, she worked across theatre, film, television, and voice acting, leaving behind a deeply varied yet remarkable legacy.
A Look At Samantha Eggar’s Prolific Career
Eggar first trained in theatre, performing Shakespeare and classical roles in the UK before transitioning into film in the early 1960s. Her big screen breakthrough came with The Collector
Thanks to the role, the actress secured leading positions in Hollywood, in films like Walk, Don’t Run (1966), Doctor Dolittle (1967), and The Molly Maguires (1970). The 1970s brought a change in her career as she expanded into horror and psychological films.
Her work in films like The Dead Are Alive (1972), The Uncanny (1977), and The Brood (1979) made her a favorite of fans of the horror genre. Later on, she moved to North America and began appearing in television roles: guest spots on series like Columbo, Hart to Hart, and Starsky & Hutch, as well as voice acting (e.g., Hera in Disney’s Hercules).
Late in her career, she also lent her voice to video games like Gabriel Knight 3 and 007: Nightfire. While she did occasional television roles, she took a step back from acting. Her active years are often listed as 1960 to 2012.
Samantha Eggar’s Achievements: Academy Award and Golden Globe
Samantha Eggar’s performance in The Collector remains her most celebrated achievement. For that role, she earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama in 1966, as well as the Best Actress award at Cannes, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
She also won the Sant Jordi Award for the same film for Best Performance in a Foreign Film. Though she did not receive additional Oscar nominations after The Collector, she remained critically respected. In 1980, she secured the Genie Award in Canada for The Brood.
Eggar’s passing marks the end of an era: a performer whose early success with The Collector set a high bar, and who then built a resilient, varied career across decades. Having left a unique mark on the industry, she will be missed dearly.
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