Maureen Stapleton | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Stapleton in 1975 | |
| Born | Lois Maureen Stapleton (1925-06-21)June 21, 1925 Troy, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 2006(2006-03-13) (aged 80) Lenox, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1946–2003 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress American Theater Hall of Fame |
Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress.[1] She received numerous accolades, becoming one of the few actors to achieve theTriple Crown of Acting, winning anAcademy Award, aPrimetime Emmy Award and twoTony Awards.[2] She also received aBritish Academy Film Award and aGolden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for aGrammy Award.
Stapleton started her career in theater with herBroadway debut inThe Playboy of the Western World (1946). She went on to receive twoTony Awards forBest Featured Actress in a Play forThe Rose Tattoo (1951) and forBest Actress in a Play forThe Gingerbread Lady (1971).[3] She was Tony-nominated for her roles inThe Cold Wind And The Warm (1959),Toys in the Attic (1960),Plaza Suite (1971) andThe Little Foxes (1981).
For her portrayal ofEmma Goldman in the historical epic filmReds (1981), she received theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also Oscar-nominated for her roles inLonelyhearts (1958),Airport (1970) andInteriors (1978). During her career, Stapleton acted in films such asBye Bye Birdie (1963),Plaza Suite (1971),The Fan (1981),Cocoon (1985),The Money Pit (1986) andNuts (1987).
On television, Stapleton played a variety of roles including in the television filmAmong the Paths to Eden (1967), for which she wonOutstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama.[4] She was Emmy-nominated for her roles inQueen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975),The Gathering (1977),B.L. Stryker (1989),Miss Rose White (1992) andRoad to Avonlea (1995). She received aGrammy Award nomination for narratingTo Kill a Mockingbird in 1975. For her life achievement, she was inducted into theAmerican Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981.
Stapleton was a member of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group. In 1984, she signed a letter protesting German arms sales toSaudi Arabia.[5]
Stapleton was born inTroy, New York, the daughter of John P. Stapleton and Irene (née Walsh), and grew up in a strict Irish AmericanCatholic family.[6][7] Her father was analcoholic and her parents separated during her childhood.[8][9]
Stapleton moved to New York City at the age of 18, and worked as a salesgirl, hotel clerk, and modeled to pay the bills, including for artistRaphael Soyer.[10] She once said that it was her infatuation with the Hollywood actorJoel McCrea which led her into acting. She made herBroadway debut in the production featuringBurgess Meredith ofThe Playboy of the Western World in 1946. That same year, she played the role of "Iras" inShakespeare'sAntony and Cleopatra in a touring production by actress and producerKatharine Cornell.[11] Stepping in becauseAnna Magnani refused the role due to her limited English, Stapleton won aTony Award for her role inTennessee Williams'The Rose Tattoo in 1951 (Magnani's English improved, however, and she was able to play the role in the film version, winning an Oscar).[citation needed]
Stapleton played in other Williams' productions, includingTwenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton andOrpheus Descending (and its film adaptation,The Fugitive Kind, co-starring her friendMarlon Brando), as well as inThe Cold Wind and the Warm (Tony nomination, 1959) andLillian Hellman'sToys in the Attic (1960), for which she received another Tony Award nomination. She was nominated for a Tony Award forNeil Simon'sPlaza Suite in 1968 and won a secondTony Award forSimon'sThe Gingerbread Lady, which was written especially for her, in 1971. Later Broadway roles included a Tony-nominated turn as "Birdie" inThe Little Foxes, oppositeElizabeth Taylor, and as a replacement forJessica Tandy inThe Gin Game.[citation needed]
Stapleton's film career, though limited, brought her immediate success, with her debut inLonelyhearts (1958) earning nominations for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress and aGolden Globe Award.[12] She appeared in the 1963 film version ofBye Bye Birdie, in the role of Mama Mae Peterson, withDick Van Dyke,Janet Leigh,Paul Lynde, andAnn-Margret. Stapleton played the role of Dick Van Dyke's mother, even though she was only five months and 22 days older than Van Dyke. She was nominated again for an Oscar forAirport (Golden Globe Award nomination, 1970[12]) andWoody Allen'sInteriors (Golden Globe Award nomination, 1978[12]). She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar forReds (1981), directed byWarren Beatty, in which she portrayed the Lithuanian-bornanarchist,Emma Goldman. In her acceptance speech, she stated, "I would like to thank everyone I've ever met in my entire life."[13] Her later appearances includedJohnny Dangerously (1984),Cocoon (1985), and its sequelCocoon: The Return (1988).
Stapleton won a 1968Emmy Award for her performance inAmong the Paths of Eden and was nominated for six more, forAvonlea (1996),Miss Rose White (1992),B.L. Stryker (1989), the television version ofAll the King's Men (1959),Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975), andThe Gathering (1977), andKraft Theatre (1959).[4] She also appeared oppositeLaurence Olivier andNatalie Wood inCat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976).
She was inducted into theAmerican Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981.[14] She was an alumna of the famousActors Studio inNew York City, led byLee Strasberg, where she became friends withMarilyn Monroe, who was only one year younger than Stapleton. She was impressed with Monroe's talent, and always thought it was a shame that Monroe was rarely allowed to play roles beyond the ditzy blonde. By comparison, Stapleton thought herself lucky: "I never had that problem. People looked at me on stage and said, 'Jesus, that broad better be able to act.'" One of the most famously remembered scenes at the studio was when Stapleton and Monroe acted inAnna Christie together.
Despite her association with Strasberg, Stapleton citedMira Rostova as her most influential acting teacher.[15] She appeared with Rostova and another of Rostova's pupils,Montgomery Clift, Off-Broadway inThe Sea Gull (1954).[16] Additionally, in his bookSanford Meisner on Acting,Meisner cites Stapleton as being "a wonderful actress." The pair starred together on Broadway inThe Cold Wind and the Warm.[17]
She was nominated for a 1975Grammy Award for the spoken word recording ofTo Kill a Mockingbird.[18]
She hosted the 19th episode of Season 4 ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live in 1979.
Stapleton's first husband was Max Allentuck, general manager to the producerKermit Bloomgarden, and her second was playwrightDavid Rayfiel, from whom she divorced in 1966.[19] She had a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Katharine, by her first husband.[20] Her daughter, Katharine Allentuck, played a single movie role, that of "Aggie" inSummer of '42 (Stapleton herself also had a minor, uncredited role in the film as the protagonist's mother, though only her voice is heard; she does not appear on camera). Her son, Daniel Allentuck, is a documentary filmmaker.[citation needed]
Stapleton suffered fromanxiety andalcoholism for many years, and once told an interviewer, "The curtain came down, and I went into the vodka."[10] She also said that her unhappy childhood contributed to her insecurities, which included a fear of flying, airplanes, and elevators.[21] A lifelong heavy smoker, Stapleton died ofchronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2006 at her home inLenox, Massachusetts.[10]
In 1981Hudson Valley Community College in Stapleton's childhood city ofTroy, New York, dedicated a theater in her name.[22]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Main Street to Broadway | Maureen Stapleton - First Nighter | Uncredited |
| 1958 | Lonelyhearts | Fay Doyle | |
| 1960 | The Fugitive Kind | Vee Talbot | |
| 1961 | A View from the Bridge | Beatrice Carbone | |
| 1963 | Bye Bye Birdie | Mama Mae Peterson | |
| 1969 | Trilogy | Mary O'Meaghan | Segment: "Among the Paths to Eden" |
| 1970 | Airport | Inez Guerrero | |
| 1971 | Summer of '42 | Hermie's mother | Voice, Uncredited |
| Plaza Suite | Karen Nash | ||
| 1978 | Interiors | Pearl | |
| 1979 | Lost and Found | Jemmy | |
| The Runner Stumbles | Mrs. Shandig | ||
| 1981 | On the Right Track | Mary the Bag Lady | |
| The Fan | Belle Goldman | ||
| Reds | Emma Goldman | ||
| 1984 | Johnny Dangerously | Ma Kelly | |
| 1985 | Cocoon | Marilyn Luckett | |
| 1986 | The Money Pit | Estelle | |
| The Cosmic Eye | Mother Earth | Voice | |
| Heartburn | Vera | ||
| 1987 | Sweet Lorraine | Lillian Garber | [23] |
| Made in Heaven | Aunt Lisa | ||
| Nuts | Rose Kirk | ||
| 1988 | Cocoon: The Return | Marilyn 'Mary' Luckett | |
| Doin' Time on Planet Earth | Helium Balloon Saleslady | ||
| 1992 | Passed Away | Mary Scanlan | |
| 1994 | The Last Good Time | Ida Cutler | |
| Trading Mom | Mrs. Cavour | ||
| 1997 | Addicted to Love | Nana | |
| 1998 | Wilbur Falls | Wilbur Falls High Secretary | |
| 2003 | Living and Dining | Mrs. Lundt | Final film role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Medic | Evelyn Strauss | Episode: "Day 10" |
| The Philco Television Playhouse | Daughter | Episode: "The Mother" | |
| 1955 | The Philco Television Playhouse | Mrs. Johnson | Episode: "Incident in July" |
| 1956 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Mrs. Elizabeth Steigerwald | Episode: "H.R. 8438: The Story of a Lost Boy" |
| The Alcoa Hour | Vi Miller | Episode: "No License to Kill (II)" | |
| Studio One in Hollywood | Rachel Jackson | Episode: "Rachel"[24] | |
| 1958 | Kraft Theatre | Sadie Burke | Episode: "All the King's Men" |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Pilar | Episode: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" |
| 1960 | CBS Repertoire Workshop | Tessie | Episode: "Tessie Malfitano and Anton Waldek" |
| 1961 | Car 54, Where Are You? | Gypsy Woman | Episode: "The Gypsy Curse" |
| Naked City | Abbey Bick | Episode: "Ooftus Goofus" | |
| 1962 | Naked City | Ruth Cullan | Episode: "Kill Me While I'm Young So I Can Die Happy!" |
| The DuPont Show of the Week | Professor Gretchen Anna Thaelman | Episode: "The Betrayal" | |
| 1964 | East Side/West Side | Molly Cavanaugh | Episode: "One Drink at a Time" |
| 1967 | Among the Paths to Eden | Mary O'Meaghan | Television movie |
| 1969 | Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall | Ruthie Maxwell | Television movie |
| 1974 | Tell Me Where It Hurts | Connie | Television movie |
| 1975 | Queen of the Stardust Ballroom | Bea Asher | Television movie |
| 1976 | The Lively Arts | Amanda Wingfield | Episode: "Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie" |
| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Mama | Television movie | |
| 1977 | The Gathering | Kate | Television movie |
| 1979 | Letters from Frank | Betty Miller | Television movie |
| The Gathering, Part II | Kate Thornton | Television movie | |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Maureen Stapleton/Linda Ronstadt andPhoebe Snow" | |
| 1982 | The Electric Grandmother | Grandmother | Television movie |
| Little Gloria... Happy at Last | Nurse Emma Kieslich | Television movie | |
| 1983 | Great Performances | White Queen | Episode: "Alice in Wonderland" |
| 1984 | Sentimental Journey | Ruthie | Television movie |
| Family Secrets | Maggie Lukauer | Television movie | |
| 1985 | Private Sessions | Dr. Liz Bolger | Television movie |
| 1988 | The Thorns | Peggy / Mrs. Hamilton | 2 episodes: "The Other Maid" / "The Maid" |
| Liberace: Behind the Music | Frances Liberace | Television movie | |
| 1989 | B.L. Stryker | Auntie Sue | Episode: "Auntie Sue" |
| The Equalizer | Emily Rutherford | Episode: "The Caper" | |
| 1992 | Last Wish | Ida Rollin | Television movie |
| Miss Rose White | Tanta Perla | Television movie | |
| Lincoln | Sarah Bush Lincoln | Voice; Television movie | |
| 1995 | Road to Avonlea | Maggie MacPhee | Episode: "What a Tangled Web We Weave" |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–1947 | The Playboy of the Western World | Sara Tansey / Pegeen Mike (replacement) | Booth Theatre, Broadway | [25] |
| 1947–1948 | Antony and Cleopatra | Iras | Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway | [26] |
| 1949–1950 | Detective Story | Miss Hatch | Hudson Theatre, Broadway | [27] |
| 1950 | The Bird Cage | Emily Williams | Coronet Theatre, Broadway | [28] |
| 1951 | The Rose Tattoo | Serafina Delle Rose | Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway | [29] |
| 1953 | The Crucible | Elizabeth Proctoer (replacement) | Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway | [30] |
| 1953 | The Emperor's Clothes | Bella | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway | [31] |
| 1953 | Richard III | Lady Anne | New York City Center, Broadway | [32] |
| 1955 | 27 Wagons Full of Cotton | Flora Meighan | Playhouse Theatre | [33] |
| 1957 | Orpheus Descending | Lady Torrance | Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway | [34] |
| 1958–1959 | The Cold Wind And The Warm | Aunt Ida | Morosco Theatre, Broadway | [35] |
| 1960–1961 | Toys in the Attic | Carrie Berniers | Hudson Theatre, Broadway | [36] |
| 1965 | The Glass Menagerie | The Mother | Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway | [37] |
| 1966 | The Rose Tattoo | Serafina Delle Rose | Billy Rose Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1968–1970 | Plaza Suite | Karen Nash / Muriel Tate / Norma Hubley | Plymouth Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1970 | Norman, Is That You? | Beatrice Chambers | Lyceum Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1970–1971 | The Gingerbread Lady | Evy Meara | Plymouth Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1972 | The Country Girl | Georgie Elgin | Billy Rose Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1972 | The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild | Mildred Wild | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1975–1976 | The Glass Menagerie | The Mother | Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1977–1978 | The Gin Game | Fonisa Dorsey (replacement) | John Golden Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1981 | The Little Foxes | Birdie Hubbard | Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway |
