Samantha Eggar, oscar-nominated star of ‘The Collector’ and ‘The Brood,’ dies at 86

Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Eggar, famed for The Collector and The Brood, dies at 86 after long illness

Samantha Eggar, the acclaimed English actress best known for her Oscar-nominated role in The Collector and her performances in Doctor Dolittle and David Cronenberg’s The Brood, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles at the age of 86. Her daughter, actress Jenna Stern, confirmed her passing in an Instagram post, sharing that Eggar died peacefully, surrounded by family after a long illness.

Eggar gained international recognition in 1965 for her role in William Wyler’s psychological thriller The Collector, earning an Academy Award nomination and winning both the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress prize and a Golden Globe. The film, in which Terence Stamp’s character holds her captive, marked a major turning point in her career.

She soon starred alongside Cary Grant in his final film, the romantic comedy Walk Don’t Run (1966), and later portrayed Emma Fairfax in the lavish musical adaptation Doctor Dolittle (1967) opposite Rex Harrison. Variety praised her performance in Walk Don’t Run for showcasing a new dimension to her acting style.

Eggar’s versatility led to diverse roles throughout the 1970s, including parts in The Molly Maguires with Sean Connery and The Walking Stick, in which she portrayed a polio survivor coping with trauma. In 1979, she returned to psychological horror in Cronenberg’s The Brood, delivering a performance that critic Fernando F. Croce called “bravura,” highlighting one of the director’s most haunting visual sequences.

She continued to work extensively in television and genre films through the 1980s, appearing in The Exterminator, Demonoid, and Curtains, and making guest appearances on popular series such as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Falcon Crest. She also took on recurring roles in Commander in Chief and guested as Marie Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In later years, Eggar lent her voice to several animated projects, including Disney’s Hercules (1997) as Hera and The Legend of Prince Valiant, as well as video games and the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse.

Born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar in Hampstead, London, she began her career in Shakespearean theatre and made her film debut in Young and Willing (1962). She was married to actor Tom Stern from 1964 to 1971.

Eggar is survived by her daughter, Jenna Stern, and son, film producer Nicolas Stern.