Veteran Actress Samantha Eggar Passes Away at 86

British-born Samantha Eggar is no more. His daughter, actress Jenna Stern, shared the news of his death on Instagram. “My mother passed away on Wednesday evening. She was in a peaceful and quiet family environment. I was there with her… holding her hand, telling her how loved she was. It was beautiful. It was a privilege,” he shared.

According to Variety, her family told TMZ that 86-year-old Samantha had been struggling with a “long illness” before her death. Nominated for three Oscars, including best director and adapted screenplay, William Wyler’s chilling 1965 thriller “The Collector,” in which a strange man played by Terence Stamp captures Samantha Eggar’s character, gave his career an early boost. The following year, she starred opposite Cary Grant in her final film, the Columbia romantic comedy “Walk Don’t Run.” In this film, Grant’s character plays the matchmaker between an American athlete (Jim Hutton) competing in the Tokyo Olympics and the young girl (Eggar) from whom he rents a room. The success of that film led to her portrayal of Emma Fairfax, the love interest of the good doctor played by Rex Harrison, in the high-budget “Dolittle.” (“Dolittle,” of course, was remade decades later with Eddie Murphy.) Eggar was married to actor Tom Stern from 1964-71. He leaves a daughter, actress Jenna Stern, and a son, filmmaker Nicolas Stern.