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Glynis Johns

Glynis Johns

Acting1923Pretoria, South Africa

Biography

Glynis Johns (October 5, 1923 - January 4, 2024) was a South African-born British actress, dancer, musician and singer. Born in Pretoria, South Africa, while her parents were on tour, she is best known for originating 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. In 2020, with the death of Olivia de Havilland, Johns became the oldest living Academy Award-nominee in any acting category.

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.

Johns was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1960 film The Sundowners. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and class years of British cinema. She is known for the breathy quality of her husky voice and her upbeat persona.

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Acting History

2013
Six by Sondheim
as Self (archive footage)
1999
Superstar
as Grandma
1994
The Ref
as Rose Chasseur
The Secret Garden
as Darjeeling (voice)
1987
Nukie
as Sister Anne
1985
Great Performances
TVas Self1 eps
Murder, She Wrote
TVas Bridget O'Hara1 eps
1984
Spraggue
as Aunt Mary
The Love Boat
TVas Edna Miles1 eps
1983
Cheers
TVas Mrs. Helen Chambers1 eps
1982
Little Gloria... Happy at Last
TVas Laura Fitzpatrick Morgan2 eps
1977
Three Dangerous Ladies
as Mrs. Amworth
1975
Mrs. Amworth
as Mrs. Amworth
1974
The Happy Prince
as Swallow (voice)
1973
The Vault of Horror
as Eleanor Critchit (segment 2 "The Neat Job")
Tony Awards
TVas Self - Winner1 eps
1972
Under Milk Wood
as Myfanwy Price
1969
Lock Up Your Daughters
as Mrs Squeezum
1968
Don't Just Stand There
as Sabine Manning
The Dick Cavett Show
TVas Self - Guest2 eps
1967
Batman
TVas Lady Penelope Peasoup4 eps
1965
Dear Brigitte
as Vina Leaf
1964
Mary Poppins
as Mrs. Banks
The Defenders
TVas Catherine Collins1 eps
Burke's Law
TVas Steffi Bernard1 eps
12 O'Clock High
TVas Jennifer Heath1 eps
1963
Papa's Delicate Condition
as Amberlyn Griffith
The Danny Kaye Show
TVas Self1 eps
Vacation Playhouse
TVas Glynis Granville
1962
The Chapman Report
as Teresa Harnish
The Cabinet of Caligari
as Jane Lindstrom
The Beachcomber
TVas Rosalind Metcalf
Dr. Kildare
TVas Sister Brigid Marie1 eps
The Oscars
TVas Self1 eps
The Lloyd Bridges Show
TVas Leah Marquand
Golden Globe Awards
TVas Self - Presenter1 eps
1961
The Mike Douglas Show
TVas Self - Co-Host
Naked City
TVas Miss Arlington1 eps
Adventures in Paradise
TVas Esther Holmes1 eps
1960
The Spider's Web
as Clarissa Hailsham-Brown
Last of the Few
as Self / Narrator
The Sundowners
as Mrs. Firth
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
TVas Self2 eps
1959
1957
All Mine to Give
as Jo Eunson
1956
Around the World in 80 Days
as Sporting Lady's Companion
The Errol Flynn Theatre
TVas The Girl / Lou McNamara
1955
The Court Jester
as Maid Jean
Josephine and Men
as Josephine Luton
1954
The Seekers
as Marion Southey
Young and Willing
as Jean Raymond
Mad About Men
as Caroline Trewella / Miranda Trewella
The Beachcomber
as Martha Jones
1953
The Sword and the Rose
as Princess Mary Tudor
Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue
as Helen Mary MacPherson MacGregor
Personal Affair
as Barbara Vining
1952
The Card
as Ruth Earp
The Magic Box
as May Jones
Studio One
TVas Lily Snape1 eps
1951
Flesh and Blood
as Katherine Manley
No Highway in the Sky
as Marjorie Corder
Appointment with Venus
as Nicola Fallaize
Encore
as Stella Cotman
1950
1949
Dear Mr. Prohack
as Mimi Warburton
Helter Skelter
as Miranda Trewella (uncredited)
Third Time Lucky
as Joan Burns
1948
Miranda
as Miranda Trewella
1947
Frieda
as Judy Dawson
An Ideal Husband
as Mabel Chiltern
1946
1945
Perfect Strangers
as Dizzy Clayton
1944
1943
The Adventures of Tartu
as Paula Palacek
1941
The Prime Minister
as Miss Sheridan (uncredited)
1940
The Thief of Bagdad
as Princess's Maid (uncredited)
The Briggs Family
as Sheila Briggs
1938
South Riding
as Midge Carne
Murder in the Family
as Marjorie Osborne

Social Media

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
10/5/1923
Day of Death
1/4/2024
Place of Birth
Pretoria, South Africa