Ashcroft, Peggy (1907-1991), was a British actress. She performed in plays, motion pictures, and on television. She appeared on stage in The Seagull in 1936 and 1964 productions, The Good Woman of Setzuan in 1956, The Taming of the Shrew in 1961, and Henry VI in 1963. Her motion pictures include The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935), The Nun’s Story (1959), and A Passage to India (1984). Ashcroft won the 1984 Academy Award as best supporting actress for her performance in A Passage to India. That same year, she appeared in the popular television serial The Jewel in the Crown.
Ashcroft was born in London on Dec. 22, 1907. In 1956, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame Commander in the Order of the British Empire, and she became known as Dame Peggy Ashcroft. Dame Peggy died on June 14, 1991.
