Glynis Johns

Born:October 5, 1923

Place of Birth:Pretoria, South Africa

Died:January 4, 2024

Known For:Acting

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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Images

Filmography

Acting

Mary Poppins

Mrs. Banks

1964

Mr Banks is looking for a nanny for his two mischievous children and comes across Mary Poppins, an angelic nanny. She not only brings a change in their lives but also spreads happiness.

While You Were Sleeping

Elsie

1995

A transit worker pulls commuter Peter off railway tracks after he's mugged, but—while he's in a coma—his family mistakenly thinks she's Peter's fiancée, and she doesn't correct them. Things get more complicated when she falls for his brother, who's not quite sure that she's who she claims to be.

49th Parallel

Anna

1941

In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral. Along the way, the German soldiers encounter brave men such as a French-Canadian fur trapper, Johnnie, a leader of a Hutterite farming community, Peter, an author, Philip and a soldier, Andy Brock.

Around the World in Eighty Days

Sporting Lady's Companion

1956

Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.

Superstar

Grandma

1999

Orphan Mary Katherine Gallagher, an ugly duckling at St. Monica High School, has a dream: to be kissed soulfully. She decides she can realize this dream if she becomes a superstar, so her prayers, her fantasies and her conversations with her only friend focus on achieving super-stardom.

The Ref

Rose Chasseur

1994

A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.

Six by Sondheim

Self (archive footage)

2013

This intimate documentary explores the life and career of the stage legend Stephen Sondheim through six of his best-known songs.