- Jessica Tandy
-
Jessica Tandy 
Tandy and Hume Cronyn at the 1988 Emmy AwardsBorn Jessie Alice Tandy
June 7, 1909
Hackney, London, England, UKDied September 11, 1994 (aged 85)
Easton, Connecticut, U.S.A.Occupation Actress Years active 1932–94 Spouse Jack Hawkins
(1932–1940)
Hume Cronyn
(1942–1994; her death)Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy (June 7, 1909 – September 11, 1994) was an English - American stage and film actress.
She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films. Following the end of her marriage to Jack Hawkins, she moved to New York, where she met Canadian actor Hume Cronyn. He became her second husband and frequent partner on stage and screen.
She won the Tony Award for her performance as Blanche Dubois in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948, sharing the prize with Katherine Cornell (who won for Antony and Cleopatra) and Judith Anderson (for the latter's portrayal of Medea). Over the following three decades, her career continued sporadically and included a substantial role in Alfred Hitchcock's film, The Birds (1963), and a Tony Award-winning performance in The Gin Game (playing in the two-character play opposite her husband, Cronyn) in 1977. She, along with Cronyn was a member of the original acting company of The Guthrie Theater.
In the mid 1980s she enjoyed a career revival. She appeared opposite Hume Cronyn in the Broadway production of Foxfire in 1983 and its television adaptation four years later, winning both a Tony Award and an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Annie Nations. During these years, she appeared in films such as Cocoon (1985), also with Cronyn.
She became the oldest actress to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), for which she also won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). At the height of her success, she was named as one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People". She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1990, and continued working until shortly before her death.
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Early life
The youngest of three siblings, Tandy was born in Geldeston Road in Hackney.[1] Her mother, Jessie Helen (née Horspool), was the head of a school for mentally handicapped children, and her father, Harry Tandy, was a travelling salesman for a rope manufacturer.[2] Her father died when Tandy was 12, and her mother subsequently taught evening courses to earn an income. Tandy was educated at Dame Alice Owen's School in Islington.
Acting career
Tandy in Hitchcock's "The Glass Eye", 1957.
Tandy began her career at the age of 16 in London, establishing herself with performances opposite such actors as Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. She entered films in England, but after her marriage to the actor Jack Hawkins failed, she moved to the United States. In 1942, she married Hume Cronyn and over the following years played supporting roles in several Hollywood films.
She made her American film debut in The Seventh Cross (1944). She also appeared in The Valley of Decision (1945), The Green Years (1946, as Cronyn's daughter), Dragonwyck (1946) starring Gene Tierney and Forever Amber (1947). She won a Tony Award for her performance as Blanche Dubois in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948. Over the following three decades, her career continued sporadically that included The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) opposite James Mason, and a substantial role in Alfred Hitchcock's film, The Birds (1963), and a Tony Award-winning performance in The Gin Game in 1977.
Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy, 1989.After her Tony-winning performance as Blanche DuBois in the original Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, (she lost the film role to actress Vivien Leigh), she concentrated on the stage. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1952. For the next 20 years, she appeared sporadically in films such as The Light in the Forest (1958) and The Birds (1963).
The beginning of the 1980s saw a resurgence in her film career, with character roles in The World According to Garp, Best Friends, Still of the Night (all 1982) and The Bostonians (1984), and the hit film Cocoon (1985), opposite Cronyn, with whom she re-teamed for *batteries not included (1987) and Cocoon: The Return (1988). She and Cronyn had been working together more and more, on stage and television, notably in 1987's Foxfire which won her an Emmy Award (recreating her Tony winning Broadway role). However, it was her colorful performance in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), as an aging, stubborn Southern-Jewish matron, that earned her an Oscar.
She earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work in the grassroots hit Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), and co-starred in The Story Lady (1991 telefilm, with daughter Tandy Cronyn), Used People (1992, as Shirley MacLaine's mother), To Dance with the White Dog (1993 telefilm, with husband Hume Cronyn), Nobody's Fool (1994), and Camilla (also 1994, with Cronyn). Camilla was to be her last performance, at the age of 84.
Other awards
Tandy was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world in 1990.
- 1979 - Sarah Siddons Award Chicago theatre
- 1986 - Drama Desk Special Award
- 1990 - National Medal of Arts
- 1991 - Women in Film Crystal Award[3]
- 1994 - Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement shared with her husband, Hume Cronyn
Personal life
Tandy's first marriage to British actor Jack Hawkins in 1932, produced one daughter, Susan Hawkins (born 1934). The couple divorced in 1940. Tandy married her next husband, Canadian actor Hume Cronyn, in 1942. They had two children, daughter Tandy Cronyn (an actress who would co-star with her mother in the NBC telefilm The Story Lady), and son Christopher.
Death
Prior to moving to Connecticut, she lived with Cronyn for many years in nearby Pound Ridge, New York and they remained together until her death in 1994. In 1990, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer which she battled for four years, during which she continued to work. She had previously been treated for angina and glaucoma. She died at home on 11 September 1994 in Easton, Connecticut. Her ashes were given to her family.
Work
Broadway credits
Year Title Role Notes 1940 Jupiter Laughs Dr. Mary Murray 1947 A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche DuBois Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1950 Hilda Crane Hilda Crane 1951 The Fourposter Agnes 1959 Five Finger Exercise Louise Harrington 1966 A Delicate Balance Agnes 1971 Home Marjorie 1977 The Gin Game Fonsia Dorsey Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play1982 Foxfire Annie Nations Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play1983 The Glass Menagerie Amanda Wingfield 1986 The Petition Lady Elizabeth Milne Nominated — Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play Filmography
Year Title Role Notes 1932 The Indiscretions of Eve Maid 1938 Murder in the Family Ann Osborne 1944 The Seventh Cross Liesel Roeder 1944 Blonde Fever Diner at Inn uncredited 1945 The Valley of Decision Louise Kane 1946 Dragonwyck Peggy O'Malley 1946 The Green Years Kate Leckie 1947 Forever Amber Nan Britton 1948 A Woman's Vengeance Janet Spence 1950 September Affair Catherine Lawrence 1951 The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel Frau Lucie Marie Rommel 1957 The Glass Eye Julia Lester Short film presented in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" 1958 The Light in the Forest Myra Butler 1962 Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man Helen Adams Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 1963 The Birds Lydia Brenner 1976 Butley Edna Shaft 1981 Honky Tonk Freeway Carol 1982 The World According to Garp Mrs. Fields 1982 Still of the Night Grace Rice 1982 Best Friends Eleanor McCullen 1984 The Bostonians Miss Birdseye 1984 Terror in the Aisles archival footage 1985 Cocoon Alma Finley 1987 *batteries not included Faye Riley 1987 Foxfire Annie Nations 1988 The House on Carroll Street Miss Venable 1988 Cocoon: The Return Alma Finley 1989 Driving Miss Daisy Daisy Werthan Academy Award for Best Actress[4]
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Silver Bear for the Best Joint Performance (with Morgan Freeman)[5]1991 Fried Green Tomatoes Ninny Threadgoode Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture1991 The Story Lady Grace TV movie; Later renamed "The Christmas Story Lady" 1992 Used People Freida 1993 To Dance with the White Dog Cora Peek 1994 A Century of Cinema Herself documentary 1994 Nobody's Fool Beryl Peoples 1994 Camilla Camilla Cara References
- ^ Jessica Tandy's family to unveil plaque to commemorate star's Hackney birthplace 19 November 1998 accessed 10 May 2007
- ^ The Academy Awards: A Look At Jessica Tandy : OUPblog
- ^ "Past Recipients: Crystal Award". Women In Film. http://wif.org/past-recipients. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ "Miss Daisy, Jessica Tandy Win Top Oscars". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-03-27/news/9001250287_1_oldest-best-actress-winner-screenplay-daisy. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ "Berlinale: 1990 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1990/03_preistr_ger_1990/03_Preistraeger_1990.html. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
External links
- Jessica Tandy at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jessica Tandy at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Jessica Tandy at the Internet Movie Database
- Jessica Tandy at Find a Grave
- Movie Magazine International Tribute
- Lifetime Honors - National Medal of Arts
- Obituary New York Times 12 September 1994
Awards for Jessica Tandy Academy Award for Best Actress (1981–2000) Katharine Hepburn (1981) · Meryl Streep (1982) · Shirley MacLaine (1983) · Sally Field (1984) · Geraldine Page (1985) · Marlee Matlin (1986) · Cher (1987) · Jodie Foster (1988) · Jessica Tandy (1989) · Kathy Bates (1990) · Jodie Foster (1991) · Emma Thompson (1992) · Holly Hunter (1993) · Jessica Lange (1994) · Susan Sarandon (1995) · Frances McDormand (1996) · Helen Hunt (1997) · Gwyneth Paltrow (1998) · Hilary Swank (1999) · Julia Roberts (2000)
Complete list · (1928–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–2020) BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (1980–1999) Judy Davis (1980) · Meryl Streep (1981) · Katharine Hepburn (1982) · Julie Walters (1983) · Maggie Smith (1984) · Peggy Ashcroft (1985) · Maggie Smith (1986) · Anne Bancroft (1987) · Maggie Smith (1988) · Pauline Collins (1989) · Jessica Tandy (1990) · Jodie Foster (1991) · Emma Thompson (1992) · Holly Hunter (1993) · Susan Sarandon (1994) · Emma Thompson (1995) · Brenda Blethyn (1996) · Judi Dench (1997) · Cate Blanchett (1998) · Annette Bening (1999)
Complete list · (1952–1959) · (1960–1979) · (1980–1999) · (2000–2019) Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (1975–2000) Ellen Burstyn (1975) · Rosemary Harris (1976) · Irene Worth (1977) · Jessica Tandy (1978) · Constance Cummings / Carole Shelley (1979) · Pat Carroll (1980) · Joan Copeland (1981) · Zoe Caldwell (1982) · Jessica Tandy (1983) · Joan Allen (1984) · Rosemary Harris (1985) · Lily Tomlin (1986) · Linda Lavin (1987) · Stockard Channing (1988) · Pauline Collins (1989) · Geraldine James (1990) · Mercedes Ruehl (1991) · Laura Esterman (1992) · Jane Alexander (1993) · Myra Carter (1994) · Cherry Jones (1995) · Zoe Caldwell (1996) · Janet McTeer (1997) · Cherry Jones (1998) · Kathleen Chalfant (1999) · Eileen Heckart (2000)
Complete list · (1975–2000) · (2001–2025) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie (1976–2000) Susan Clark / Rosemary Harris (1976) · Sally Field / Patty Duke (1977) · Joanne Woodward / Meryl Streep (1978) · Bette Davis (1979) · Patty Duke (1980) · Vanessa Redgrave (1981) · Ingrid Bergman (1982) · Barbara Stanwyck (1983) · Jane Fonda (1984) · Joanne Woodward (1985) · Marlo Thomas (1986) · Gena Rowlands (1987) · Jessica Tandy (1988) · Holly Hunter (1989) · Barbara Hershey (1990) · Lynn Whitfield (1991) · Gena Rowlands (1992) · Holly Hunter (1993) · Kirstie Alley (1994) · Glenn Close (1995) · Helen Mirren (1996) · Alfre Woodard (1997) · Ellen Barkin (1998) · Helen Mirren (1999) · Halle Berry (2000)
Complete List · (1952–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–2025) Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (1981–2000) Bernadette Peters (1981) · Julie Andrews (1982) · Julie Walters (1983) · Kathleen Turner (1984) · Kathleen Turner (1985) · Sissy Spacek (1986) · Cher (1987) · Melanie Griffith (1988) · Jessica Tandy (1989) · Julia Roberts (1990) · Bette Midler (1991) · Miranda Richardson (1992) · Angela Bassett (1993) · Jamie Lee Curtis (1994) · Nicole Kidman (1995) · Madonna (1996) · Helen Hunt (1997) · Gwyneth Paltrow (1998) · Janet McTeer (1999) · Renée Zellweger (2000)
Complete List · (1950–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–2020) Katharine Ross (1974/75) · Blythe Danner (1976) · Jodie Foster (1977) · Margot Kidder (1978) · Mary Steenburgen (1979) · Angie Dickinson (1980) · Karen Allen (1981) · Sandahl Bergman (1982) · Louise Fletcher (1983) · Daryl Hannah (1984) · Coral Browne (1985) · Sigourney Weaver (1986) · Jessica Tandy (1987) · Catherine Hicks (1988) · Demi Moore (1989/90)
Complete list · (1974–1990) · (1991–2010) Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (1947–1975) Ingrid Bergman / Helen Hayes (1947) · Judith Anderson / Jessica Tandy (1948) · Shirley Booth (1950) · Uta Hagen (1951) · Julie Harris (1952) · Shirley Booth (1953) · Audrey Hepburn (1954) · Nancy Kelly (1955) · Julie Harris (1956) · Margaret Leighton (1957) · Helen Hayes (1958) · Gertrude Berg (1959) · Anne Bancroft (1960) · Joan Plowright. (1961) · Margaret Leighton (1962) · Uta Hagen (1963) · Sandy Dennis (1964) · Irene Worth (1965) · Rosemary Harris (1966) · Beryl Reid (1967) · Zoe Caldwell (1968) · Julie Harris (1969) · Tammy Grimes (1970) · Maureen Stapleton (1971) · Sada Thompson (1972) · Julie Harris (1973) · Colleen Dewhurst (1974) · Ellen Burstyn (1975)
Complete list · (1947–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–2025) Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (1976–2000) Irene Worth (1976) · Julie Harris (1977) · Jessica Tandy (1978) · Constance Cummings / Carole Shelley (1979) · Phyllis Frelich (1980) · Jane Lapotaire (1981) · Zoe Caldwell (1982) · Jessica Tandy (1983) · Glenn Close (1984) · Stockard Channing (1985) · Lily Tomlin (1986) · Linda Lavin (1987) · Joan Allen (1988) · Pauline Collins (1989) · Maggie Smith (1990) · Mercedes Ruehl (1991) · Glenn Close (1992) · Madeline Kahn (1993) · Diana Rigg (1994) · Cherry Jones (1995) · Zoe Caldwell (1996) · Janet McTeer (1997) · Marie Mullen (1998) · Judi Dench (1999) · Jennifer Ehle (2000)
Complete list · (1947–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–2025) 1986 Kennedy Center Honorees Categories:- American film actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- BAFTA winners (people)
- Best Actress Academy Award winners
- Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Cancer deaths in Connecticut
- Deaths from ovarian cancer
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Emmy Award winners
- English film actors
- English emigrants to the United States
- English stage actors
- English television actors
- Kennedy Center honorees
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- People from Hackney
- Saturn Award winners
- Tony Award winners
- United States National Medal of Arts recipients
- 1909 births
- 1994 deaths
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