Tony Award-winning actor Glynis Johns, who rose to fame in Disney’s Mary Poppins, has died.
Johns, who played Mrs. Winifred Banks in the 1964 hit film starring Julie Andrews in the title role, was 100 years old.
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Tony Award winner Glynis Johns dies aged 100 Credit: Getty
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Johns famously played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins in 1964. Credit: YouTube/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice in Mary Poppins Credit: Getty
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Johns was a Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee Credit: Getty
Johns’ publicist, Mitch Clem, confirmed her death to Los Angeles ABC affiliate KABC.
She died of natural causes and lived in West Hollywood, California, Clem said.
Johns was hired by Walt Disney himself to play Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, in which she sang the song Sister Suffragette.
Before playing Mrs. Banks, Johns appeared in two more Disney films released in 1953: The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue.
Johns received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1960 film The Sundowners.
In addition to her film work, Johns won the 1973 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Desiree Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.
Sondheim wrote the character’s signature song, Send in the Clowns, just for Johns.
In a 2005 interview, Sondheim revealed more about the songwriting process specifically for Johns’ “silver voice.”
“I wrote it for her voice, because she couldn’t hold the notes. Wasn’t that a singing voice,” the composer explained to the Academy of Achievement.
– I wouldn’t have written the song so quickly if I didn’t know the actress.
GREAT CAREER
Born in South Africa in 1923, Johns was the daughter of concert pianist Alys Steele and actor Mervyn Johns.
Johns began her career in England, appearing in her first film at the age of 13 and taking the title role in a stage production of Peter Pan at the age of 19.
In 1944, Johns appeared alongside her father in the film Halfway House.
The duo then appeared together in two more films: The Magic Box in 1951, followed by her Oscar-nominated The Sundowners.
Early in her film career, Johns appeared in three films as a flirtatious mermaid: 1948’s Miranda, 1949’s Helter Skelter, and 1954’s Mad About Men.
Her last two films were While You Were Sleeping and Superstar.
Johns made her Broadway debut in 1952, in the title role of Gertie.
During her career, she appeared in several other Main Stem productions, including the 1989 revival of The Circle opposite Rex Harrison.
Johns has also appeared on various television shows, including the final season of ABC’s Batman and the CBS sitcom Coming of Age.
She even had her own eponymous sitcom for CBS in 1963.
In 1998, Johns was named a Disney Legend and was the oldest living legend until her death.
Johns was married four times and had one son, the late actor Gareth Forwood.
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Johns played a mermaid in the 1948 film Miranda. Credit: Getty
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Johns, pictured right with fellow winners Julie Harris (left) and Ben Vereen (center), won a Tony Award for her performance in A Little Night MusicCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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Johns lived to be 100 years old Credit: Getty Images – Getty
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Source: HIS Education