British actress Glynis Johns known for playing the titular character of Mrs Banks in the iconic Disney film Mary Poppins, passed away at the age of 100. Her demise was announced on Thursday by Mitch Clem, who has been her manager for the past 25 years.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: “Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives. Her light shined very brightly for 100 years. She had a wit that could stop you in your tracks powered by a heart that loved deeply and purely. Today is a somber day for Hollywood. Not only do we mourn the passing of our dear Glynis, but we mourn the end of the golden age of Hollywood.”
She passed away due to natural causes at an assisted living home in Los Angeles.
Known for her husky voice, Johns began her career as a teenager, with her debut film South Riding (1938), a romantic drama. After which she started receiving many roles during the 1940's and she rose to fame with 49th Parallel, a war drama. She also received the best acting award for this film from the National Board of Review. The silver screen and Broadway stage was graced by her presence for more than six decades. She has appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays.
During the 1950’s, she appeared in a number of Hollywood and TV shows, but got a major breakthrough in 1960 with the film The Sundowners a family drama, as Mrs Firth. Johns also received an Oscar nomination for the film as Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.
In 1960, she acted in a television series titled after her own name Glynis. It is a comedy series, with Glynis playing the role of a mystery writer who attempts to solve various crimes with her husband (Keith Andes) who is a criminal defence attorney. It was in 1964 that she landed with her iconic role as Mrs Banks in Disney’s classic movie Mary Poppins. In the movie she plays a distracted suffragette mother who cares more about her cause than her children.
The actress was awarded the Tony Award, for originating the role of Desiree Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 A Little Night Music. In the musical, the star performed the now-classic Broadway tune 'Send in the Clowns' composed by Sondheim.
The Oscar-nominated actor was known as a perfectionist in her professional life and the roles she took were multi-faceted. In 1990 she told the Associated Pres: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in playing the role on only one level.” “The whole point of first-class acting is to make a reality. To be real. And I have to make sense of it in my own mind in order to be real,” she added.
Her other famous movies are The Sword and the Rose (1953), The Weak and the Wicked (1954), Mad About Men (1954), The Court Jester (1955), The Sundowners (1960), The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), The Chapman Report (1962), and Under Milk Wood (1972).
The British actress was married and divorced four times, to Anthony Forwood, David Ramsey Foster, Cecil Henderson and Elliot Arnold. She is survived by her grandson, Thomas, and her three great-grandchildren. Johns will be buried in the UK right next to her father. She was one of the last remaining major actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the classical years of British cinema.