Beloved 'Mary Poppins' Actress Glynis Johns Dies at 100
Actress Glynis Johns, who starred in the 1964 movie classic “Mary Poppins,” has died at the age of 100.
The actress died peacefully in Los Angeles on Thursday, Mitch Clem, her manager, said, according to EW.
“Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives,” Clem said in a statement.
“She entered my life early in my career and set a very high bar on how to navigate this industry with grace, class, and truth. Your own truth. 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,” he said.
Glynis Johns you will always be famous pic.twitter.com/zbJ6dQWMmb
— Dais (@thegoodolddais) January 4, 2024
“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,” he said.
The South Africa-born actress appeared in more than 60 movies and 30 stage plays during her 80-year career
Johns appeared in “Mary Poppins” as the character of Mrs. Banks, a suffragette.
Johns later starred in the Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical “A Little Night Music,” according to ABC.
In the show, she was the character of Desiree Armfeldt, and performed the song “Send In the Clowns.”
For her performance, she was awarded a Tony Award for best performance by a leading actress in a musical.
Sondheim wrote Send in the Clowns specifically for her. A true musical theatre ACTOR and a legend. RIP Glynis Johns. The night smiles for you. pic.twitter.com/T8I1WqZRfl
— Emily Clark (@emilyabclark) January 4, 2024
In speaking of the show, during an interview prior to turning 100, Johns said, “I got applause for that. I loved doing it. I felt it,” according to KABC-TV.
“I’ve had other songs written for me, but nothing like that,” Johns said in a 1990 Associated Press interview, according to Time. “It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given in the theater.”
EW noted that 18 years after the 1973 performance that won her the award, Johns appeared in a Los Angeles revival of the show as Madame Armfeldt, who was the mother of the character Johns played on Broadway.
rest in peace to the wonderful glynis johns, who, among a host of fabulous roles, gave us the iconic performance that was mrs. banks in mary poppins (1964) ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3kRTgdOTVi
— veronica (@gingercinephile) January 4, 2024
In 1960, Johns was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in “The Sundowners.”
Johns was the fourth generation of her British family to enter the theater, Time noted, and only happened to be born in South Africa because her parents were on tour there at the time. Her father, Mervyn Johns, was a character actor. Her mother was a pianist.
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