Samantha Eggar, Oscar-Nominated 'The Collector' Actor, Dead at 86

Samantha Eggar, known for her breakout role in the 1995 psychological horror The Collector, has died at the age of 86. The actor's death was confirmed by her family, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.

Eggar died on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at her home in Sherman Oaks. Her daughter, actor Jenna Stern, confirmed Eggar struggled with an illness for the past five years, but that she "lived a long, fabulous life."

The British actor got her start in theater before landing the leading role of an art student named Miranda in director William Wyler's The Collector. Based on a novel, the horror movie follows a lonely young man who abducts Egger's character and holds her hostage in a rural farmhouse.

The Collector was not only Egger's breakout acting role, but also landed her the Best Actress award at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival. After its theatrical release, Egger won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

In a 2012 interview with The Terror Trap, Egger said, "It was not an easy film to make," and recalls Wyler pouring cold water on her when she needed to act with more intensity.

Later in her career, she became known for her role as Emma Fairfax in the 1967 movie Doctor Dolittle and starred in The Molly Maguires. Egger never stepped away from the horror genre and starred in The Dead Are Alive, The Uncanny, and the 1979 cut thriller The Brood.

When it comes to TV, she's voiced Queen Guinevere in The Legend of Prince Valiant and voiced Hera in the 1998 series Hercules. Her last voice role was Whale in Metalocalypse. Some may recognize her for the role of Charlotte Devane in All My Children and Sara Templeton in Commander in Chief.

Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar was born on March 5, 1939, in Hampstead, England. She is survived by her two children, producer Nicolas Stern, and actor Jenna Stern.