Anne Bancroft
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 The 1987 Emmy Awards |
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| Born | Anna Maria Louisa Italiano September 17, 1931 The Bronx, New York |
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| Died | June 6, 2005 (aged 73) New York City, New York |
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| Spouse(s) | Martin May (1953-1957) Mel Brooks (1964-2005) |
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Anne Bancroft (September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an Academy Award-, Golden Globe-, Tony-, and Emmy-winning American method actress.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Bancroft was born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in the Bronx, New York, the daughter of Mildred (née DiNapoli), a telephone operator, and Michael Italiano, a dress pattern maker.[1] Her parents were both children of Italian immigrants.
Bancroft graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx in 1948, and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Actors Studio, and the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women at UCLA. After appearing in a number of live television dramas under the name Anne Marno, she was told to change her surname for her film debut in Don't Bother to Knock in 1952.
[edit] Career
Bancroft was a contract player in the early days of her career just as the studio contract system was ending. She left Hollywood and returned to New York due to the quality of roles she was being offered.
In 1958 she appeared opposite Henry Fonda in the Broadway production of Two for the Seesaw, for which she won a Tony Award, and another in 1962 for The Miracle Worker. She took the latter role back to Hollywood, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1962.
A highly acclaimed television special, "Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man" won her an Emmy award for her singing and acting. Bancroft is one of a very select few entertainers to win an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony award.
Other major film roles were in The Pumpkin Eater, 7 Women, and what is unquestionably her best-known role, Mrs. Robinson, opposite Dustin Hoffman in the film The Graduate. Ironically, Bancroft, then only 36 years old, played opposite a 30-year-old Hoffman. Although Bancroft is now iconically identified as Mrs. Robinson, she was not the first choice for the role; Patricia Neal (who had recently suffered a stroke), Doris Day and Jeanne Moreau turned it down. Bancroft was ambivalent about her appearance in The Graduate; she stated in several interviews that the role overshadowed all of her other work.
In 1980, she made her debut as a screenwriter and director in Fatso, in which she starred along with Dom DeLuise. Bancroft was also the original choice to play Joan Crawford in the 1981 movie Mommie Dearest, but backed out at the 11th hour, and was replaced by Faye Dunaway. She was also a front-runner for the role of Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment, but declined in order to act in the remake of To Be or Not to Be (1983).
[edit] Marriage and family
From July 1, 1953, to February 13, 1957, she was married to Martin May. The marriage produced no children.
In 1961, Bancroft met Mel Brooks in a rehearsal for the Perry Como variety show. Brooks bribed a studio employee to find out where she was having dinner so he could meet her again. Once Bancroft met Brooks, she went to her therapist and told him they had to conclude the therapy as fast as possible because she had met the man she was going to marry.
They married on August 5, 1964, in New York City Hall and were together until her death. They had one son, Maximillian, in 1972. They were seen three times on the screen together: once dancing a tango in Brooks's 1976 Silent Movie, in Brooks's 1983 remake of To Be or Not to Be, and in the episode entitled "Opening Night" of the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. Brooks produced the 1980 film The Elephant Man, in which Bancroft acted. He also executive-produced the 1987 film 84 Charing Cross Road in which she starred.
[edit] Death
Bancroft died on June 6, 2005 of uterine cancer aged 73 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.[2] Her death came as a surprise to even some of Bancroft's friends; she was intensely private and had not released details of her illness.
Bancroft was survived by Brooks, their son, a grandson, her mother and two sisters. She is interred at the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, near her father, Michael Italiano. A white marble monument with a weeping angel adorns her grave.
[edit] Awards and honours
- Best Actress
- 1962 - The Miracle Worker
- 1964 - The Pumpkin Eater (Julie Andrews)
- 1967 - The Graduate (Katharine Hepburn)
- 1977 - The Turning Point (Diane Keaton)
- 1985 - Agnes of God (Geraldine Page)
[edit] Work
[edit] Theater roles
| Year | Production | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Two for the Seesaw | Tony Award |
| 1959 | The Miracle Worker | Tony Award |
| 1963 | Mother Courage and Her Children | |
| 1965 | The Devils | |
| 1967 | The Little Foxes | |
| 1968 | A Cry of Players | |
| 1977 | Golda | |
| 1981 | Duet for One | |
| 2002 | Occupant |
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Don't Bother to Knock | Lyn Lesley | |
| 1953 | Tonight We Sing | Emma Hurok | |
| Treasure of the Golden Condor | Marie, Comtesse de St. Malo | ||
| The Kid from Left Field | Marian Foley | ||
| 1954 | Gorilla at Large | Laverne Miller | |
| Demetrius and the Gladiators | Paula | ||
| The Raid | Katie Bishop | ||
| 1955 | New York Confidential | Kathy Lupo | |
| A Life in the Balance | María Ibinia | ||
| The Naked Street | Rosalie Regalzyk | ||
| The Last Frontier | Corinna Marston | ||
| 1956 | Walk the Proud Land | Tianay | |
| 1957 | Nightfall | Marie Gardner | |
| The Restless Breed | Angelita | ||
| The Girl in Black Stockings | Beth Dixon | ||
| 1962 | The Miracle Worker | Annie Sullivan | Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated Golden Globe Best Actress |
| 1964 | The Pumpkin Eater | Jo Armitage Oscar | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Best Actress Cannes Film Festival - Best Actress |
| 1965 | The Slender Thread | Inga Dyson | |
| 1966 | 7 Women | Dr. D.R. Cartwright | |
| 1967 | The Graduate | Mrs. Robinson | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Best Actress |
| 1972 | Young Winston | Lady Jennie Churchill | |
| 1974 | Blazing Saddles | Extra in Church Congregation | uncredited |
| 1975 | The Prisoner of Second Avenue | Edna Edison | |
| The Hindenburg | Ursula, The Countess | ||
| 1976 | Lipstick | Carla Bondi | |
| Silent Movie | Herself | ||
| 1977 | The Turning Point | Emma Jacklin | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated Golden Globe Best Actress |
| 1980 | Fatso | Antoinette | also director and writer |
| The Elephant Man | Mrs. Kendal | ||
| 1983 | To Be or Not to Be | Anna Bronski | Nominated - Golden Globe Best Actress |
| 1984 | Garbo Talks | Estelle Rolfe | Nominated - Golden Globe Best Actress |
| 1985 | Agnes of God | Mother Miriam Ruth | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Best Actress |
| 1986 | 'night, Mother | Thelma Cates | Nominated Golden Globe Best Actress |
| 1987 | 84 Charing Cross Road | Helene Hanff | |
| 1988 | Torch Song Trilogy | Ma Beckoff | |
| 1989 | Bert Rigby, You're a Fool | Meredith Perlestein | |
| 1992 | Honeymoon in Vegas | Bea Singer | |
| Love Potion No. 9 | Madame Ruth | ||
| 1993 | Point of No Return | Amanda | |
| Malice | Mrs. Kennsinger | ||
| Mr. Jones | Dr. Catherine Holland | ||
| 1995 | How to Make an American Quilt | Glady Joe Cleary | |
| Home for the Holidays | Adele Larson | ||
| Dracula: Dead and Loving It | Madame Ouspenskaya (Gypsy Woman) | ||
| 1996 | The Sunchaser | Dr. Renata Baumbauer | |
| 1997 | G.I. Jane | Sen. Lillian DeHaven | |
| Critical Care | Nun | ||
| 1998 | Great Expectations | Ms. Dinsmoor | |
| Mark Twain's America in 3D | Narrator | ||
| Antz | Queen | voice | |
| 2000 | Keeping the Faith | Ruth Schram | |
| Up at the Villa | Princess San Ferdinando | ||
| 2001 | Heartbreakers | Gloria Vogal/Barbara | |
| In Search of Peace | Golda Meir | voice | |
| 2008 | Delgo | Sedessa | Voice (awaiting release) |
[edit] Television roles
| Year | Show | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | ABC Stage 67 - I'm Getting Married | Virginia | |
| 1970 | Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man | Emmy Award | |
| 1974 | Annie and the Hoods | ||
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | Mary Magdalene | Miniseries |
| 1982 | Marco Polo | Marco's mother | Miniseries |
| 1990 | Freddie and Max | Maxine (Max) Chandler | Six episodes |
| 1992 | Broadway Bound | Kate Jerome | Nominated - Emmy Award |
| Mrs. Cage | Lillian Cage | Nominated - Emmy Award | |
| 1994 | Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All | Lucy Marsden (age 99-100) | Nominated - Emmy Award |
| Great Performances - The Mother | Mrs. Fanning | ||
| The Simpsons | Dr. Zweig (voice) | episode "Fear of Flying" | |
| 1996 | Homecoming | Abigail Tillerman | |
| 1999 | Deep in My Heart | Gerry Eileen Cummins | Emmy Award |
| 2001 | Haven | Mama Gruber | Nominated - Emmy Award |
| 2003 | The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone | Contessa | Nominated - Emmy Award |
| 2004 | Curb Your Enthusiasm |
[edit] References
- ^ Anne Bancroft Biography (1931-)
- ^ Graduate star Anne Bancroft dies. BBC News. 8 June 2005.
[edit] External links
- YouTube Video of Mrs. Robinson Tribute
- Anne Bancroft at the Internet Broadway Database
- Anne Bancroft at the Internet Movie Database
- Anne Bancroft at Yahoo! Movies
- Anne Bancroft at the TCM Movie Database
- Anne Bancroft at Find A Grave
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Sophia Loren (1961) · Anne Bancroft (1962) · Patricia Neal (1963) · Julie Andrews (1964) · Julie Christie (1965) · Elizabeth Taylor (1966) · Katharine Hepburn (1967) · Katharine Hepburn / Barbra Streisand (1968) · Maggie Smith (1969) · Glenda Jackson (1970) · Jane Fonda (1971) · Liza Minnelli (1972) · Glenda Jackson (1973) · Ellen Burstyn (1974) · Louise Fletcher (1975) · Faye Dunaway (1976) · Diane Keaton (1977) · Jane Fonda (1978) · Sally Field (1979) · Sissy Spacek (1980) Complete list · (1928–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001-present) |
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Esther Rolle (1979) · Mare Winningham (1980) · Jane Alexander (1981) · Penny Fuller (1982) · Jean Simmons (1983) · Roxana Zal (1984) · Kim Stanley (1985) · Colleen Dewhurst (1986) · Piper Laurie (1987) · Jane Seymour (1988) · Colleen Dewhurst (1989) · Eva Marie Saint (1990) · Ruby Dee (1991) · Amanda Plummer (1992) · Mary Tyler Moore (1993) · Cicely Tyson (1994) · Judy Davis / Shirley Knight (1995) · Greta Scacchi (1996) · Diana Rigg (1997) · Mare Winningham (1998) · Anne Bancroft (1999) · Vanessa Redgrave (2000) |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bancroft, Anne |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Italiano, Anna Maria Louisa |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17 September 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 6 June 2005 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | New York City, U.S. |
