Samantha Eggar has died at the age of 86.
The acclaimed Hollywood star Samantha Eggar was best known for her performances in The Collector and The Brood.
Her daughter, actress Jenna Stern, confirmed the news on Friday, revealing that Samantha Eggar passed away peacefully at her home in Sherman Oaks on Wednesday.
While no cause of death has been disclosed, Jenna shared that her mother had been battling illness for the past five years, but ‘lived a long, fabulous life.’
Paying tribute on Instagram, Jenna shared a touching message alongside a series of snaps celebrating her mother’s remarkable life.
She wrote: ‘Beautiful, intelligent and tough enough to be fascinatingly vulnerable…Samantha Eggar (1939-2025)
‘My Mama passed Wednesday evening. Peacefully and quietly surrounded by family.
‘I was there next to her…holding her hand, telling her how much she was loved. It was beautiful. It was a privilege.’
Samantha Eggar received an Oscar nomination for her gripping role opposite Terence Stamp in The Collector (1965) – the performance that catapulted her to international fame.
She went on to star alongside screen icon Cary Grant in Walk, Don’t Run and showed off her musical talents in Doctor Dolittle (1967) opposite Rex Harrison.
By the 1970s and 1980s, Samantha had cemented her status as a cult favourite in the horror genre.
She appeared in The Dead Are Alive! (1972), A Name for Evil (1973), The Uncanny (1977), and Curtains (1983).
Her portrayal in David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979) remains one of her most acclaimed performances.
Later in her career, she captivated TV audiences with roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation, All My Children, and Commander in Chief, where she starred alongside Donald Sutherland and Geena Davis.
Samantha was born on March 5, 1939, in Hampstead, London.
Her father served as a British Army brigadier, while her mother worked as an ambulance driver during World War II.
She studied art and fashion at the Thanet School of Art before pursuing acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
Later in her career, she returned to the stage, performing in The Lonely Road at the Old Vic and The Seagull at the Oxford Playhouse and Theatre Royal, Bath.
Samantha is survived by her children Nicolas and Jenna, her grandchildren Isabel, Charlie, and Calla, and her sisters Margaret Barron, Toni Maricic, and Vivien Thursby.