Jane Lapotaire, British Actress Who Won a Tony for ‘Piaf,’ Dies at 81

In a distinguished career in classical and contemporary plays, she drew acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic for her dramatic portrayal of the French singer Édith Piaf.Jane Lapotaire in “Piaf” in a 1979 London production. She later made her Broadway debut in the role. Frank Rich wrote in The Times that her performance “burns with such heart-stopping intensity that one never questions her right to stand in for ‘the little sparrow.’”