Ask any female star from Bollywood these days — and the chances are she will define herself as an “actor” and not an “actress”.

But with Joan Collins, it’s just the opposite — she insists on being called an “actress”. And if the Oscar categories are anything to go by, perhaps she does have a point.

Anyway, at 86, she is a British institution, and people listen when she expresses an opinion — and she has certainly done so in no uncertain terms in an article in The Spectator magazine, headlined, I’m an actress, not an actor. And yes, it matters.

Over the decades what hasn’t Joan done, from landing the role which made her a global superstar — playing Alexis Carrington, the vengeful and scheming ex-wife of John Forsythe’s character, in the 1980s US prime time soap opera Dynasty — to starring in The Stud and The Bitch, films based on the racy novels written by her sister, Jackie Collins.

In recognition of her superstar status, she was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for career achievement in 1983.

Joan is also a distinguished author — her autobiography, Past Imperfect, has been a bestseller — and has also written articles for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Lady in the United Kingdom, and Harper’s Bazaar in the United States. The Queen made her a Dame in 2015 for her charitable work, and Arts for India gave her a lifetime achievement award in 2016.

And she knows about life, having had no fewer than five husbands.

In The Spectator article, she has explained why she has gone on the warpath: “I recently tried to put my profession down as ‘actress’ on Instagram, but the only option available from the drop-down menu was ‘actor’.

“Why?

“Actress is such a graceful word, so evocative of elegance, refinement and poise that the common and blunt ‘actor’ cannot possibly conjure. It’s even worse when we are referred to as ‘female actors’. How utterly contemptuous and disrespectful towards women.

“We have fought long and hard for equality only to be lumped in with the male appellative in the rat race of showbiz — some victory. Although many other actresses agree with me, it appears that the younger generation think my view is old-fashioned and ridiculous. I hear the term ‘mother’ is also becoming démodé and ‘parent’ is the PC word to use on a birth certificate.

“Will the imagery of bountiful ‘Mother Earth’ providing sustenance and protection to her children now be replaced by a remote and strict ‘Parent Earth’? How unromantic.”