Glynis Johns
| Glynis Margaret Payne Johns | ||
 Publicity photo, 1950s | ||
| Background information | ||
| Born | Oct 05, 1923 Pretoria, Union of South Africa | |
| Died | Jan 24, 2024 - at age 101 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Natural causes | |
| Buried: | Burry Port, Wales | |
| Spouse(s): |
| |
| Children: | Gareth Forwood ↗ | |
| Occupation: | Actress, dancer, singer | |
| Years active | 1923–1999 | |
Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (5 October 1923 – 4 January 2024) was a British actress. Over a career that spanned eight decades on stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She received numerous accolades throughout her career, including a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award, along with nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award. As one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the classical era of British cinema, she had a remarkable legacy.
Johns was born in Pretoria, South Africa, the daughter of Welsh actor Mervyn Johns. She appeared on stage from a young age and was typecast as a stage dancer from early adolescence, making her screen debut in South Riding (1938). She rose to prominence in the 1940s following her role as Anna in the war drama film 49th Parallel (1941), for which she won a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting, and starring roles in Miranda (1948) and Third Time Lucky (1949). Following No Highway in the Sky (1951), a joint British-American production, Johns took on increasingly more roles in the United States and elsewhere. She made her television and Broadway debuts in 1952 and took on starring roles in such films as The Sword and the Rose (1953), The Weak and the Wicked (1954), Mad About Men (1954), The Court Jester (1955), The Sundowners (1960), The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), The Chapman Report (1962), and Under Milk Wood (1972). On television, she starred in her own sitcom "Glynis" (1963).
Renowned for the breathy quality of her husky voice,[6] Johns sang songs written specifically for her both on screen and stage, most notably "Sister Suffragette", written by the Sherman Brothers for Disney's Mary Poppins (1964), in which she played Winifred Banks and for which she received a Laurel Award, and "Send In the Clowns", composed by Stephen Sondheim for Broadway's A Little Night Music (1973), in which she originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt and for which she received a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award.
Born 1923 in Pretoria, South Africa, while her parents were on tour, British actress, dancer, musician, and singer Glynis Johns is best known for creating the role of Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music on Broadway, for which she won a Tony Award, and for playing Winifred Banks in Walt Disney’s musical motion picture Mary Poppins (1964).
In both roles, Johns sang songs written specifically for her, including “Send In the Clowns”, composed by Stephen Sondheim, and “Sister Suffragette”, written by the Sherman Brothers. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1960 film The Sundowners.
Upon the death of Olivia de Havilland in 2020, Johns became the oldest living Academy Award nominee in an acting category. She is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, and known for the breathy quality of her husky voice and her upbeat persona.
- Glynis Johns gallery
External links
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Glynis_Johns ]
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root