Maureen Stapleton
Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress.[1] She received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, in addition to a nomination for a Grammy Award.
Maureen Stapleton | |
|---|---|
Stapleton in 1975 | |
| Born | Lois Maureen Stapleton June 21, 1925 Troy, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 2006 (aged 80) Lenox, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1946–2003 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Lonelyhearts (1958), Airport (1970), and Interiors (1978), before winning for her performance as Emma Goldman in Reds (1981). For Reds, Stapleton also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, winning for Airport. Other notable film roles included Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Plaza Suite (1971), The Fan (1981), Cocoon (1985), The Money Pit (1986), and Nuts (1987).
She was nominated for seven Emmy Awards and won one for the television film Among the Paths to Eden (1967).[2]
Stapleton made her Broadway debut in 1946 in The Playboy of the Western World, and went on to win the 1951 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Rose Tattoo and the 1971 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for The Gingerbread Lady. She received four additional Tony Award nominations[3] and was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981.
She was "almost an EGOT," having won the Triple Crown of Acting, every major performing award except a Grammy, for which she was nominated in 1975.[4]
Early life edit
Stapleton was born in Troy, New York, the daughter of John P. Stapleton and Irene (née Walsh), and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family.[5][6] Her father was an alcoholic and her parents separated during her childhood.[7][8]
Career edit
Stapleton moved to New York City at the age of 18, and worked as a salesgirl, hotel clerk, and modeled to pay the bills, including for artist Raphael Soyer.[9] She once said that it was her infatuation with the handsome Hollywood actor Joel McCrea which led her into acting. She made her Broadway debut in the production featuring Burgess Meredith of The Playboy of the Western World in 1946. That same year, she played the role of "Iras" in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra in a touring production by actress and producer Katharine Cornell.[10] Stepping in because Anna Magnani refused the role due to her limited English, Stapleton won a Tony Award for her role in Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo in 1951 (Magnani's English improved, however, and she was able to play the role in the film version, winning an Oscar).
Stapleton played in other Williams' productions, including Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton and Orpheus Descending (and its film adaptation, The Fugitive Kind, co-starring her friend Marlon Brando), as well as in The Cold Wind and the Warm (Tony nomination, 1959) and Lillian Hellman's Toys in the Attic (1960), for which she received another Tony Award nomination. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Neil Simon's Plaza Suite in 1968 and won a second Tony Award for Simon's The Gingerbread Lady, which was written especially for her, in 1971. Later Broadway roles included a Tony-nominated turn as "Birdie" in The Little Foxes, opposite Elizabeth Taylor, and as a replacement for Jessica Tandy in The Gin Game.
Stapleton's film career, though limited, brought her immediate success, with her debut in Lonelyhearts (1958) earning nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe Award.[11] She appeared in the 1963 film version of Bye Bye Birdie, in the role of Mama Mae Peterson, with Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Paul Lynde, and Ann-Margret. Stapleton played the role of Dick Van Dyke's mother, even though she was only five months and 22 days older than Van Dyke. She was nominated again for an Oscar for Airport (Golden Globe Award nomination, 1970[11]) and Woody Allen's Interiors (Golden Globe Award nomination, 1978[11]). She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Reds (1981), directed by Warren Beatty, in which she portrayed the Lithuanian-born anarchist, Emma Goldman. In her acceptance speech, she stated, "I would like to thank everyone I've ever met in my entire life."[12] Her later appearances included Johnny Dangerously (1984), Cocoon (1985), and its sequel Cocoon: The Return (1988).
Stapleton won a 1968 Emmy Award for her performance in Among the Paths of Eden and was nominated for six more, for Avonlea (1996), Miss Rose White (1992), B.L. Stryker (1989), the television version of All the King's Men (1959), Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975), and The Gathering (1977), and Kraft Theatre (1959).[2] She also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier and Natalie Wood in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976).
She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981.[13] She was an alumna of the famous Actors Studio in New York City, led by Lee Strasberg, where she became friends with Marilyn Monroe, who was only one year younger than Stapleton. She was impressed with Monroe's talent, and always thought it was a shame that Monroe was rarely allowed to play roles beyond the ditzy blonde. By comparison, Stapleton thought herself lucky: "I never had that problem. People looked at me on stage and said, 'Jesus, that broad better be able to act.'" One of the most famously remembered scenes at the studio was when Stapleton and Monroe acted in Anna Christie together.
Despite her association with Strasberg, Stapleton cited Mira Rostova as her most influential acting teacher.[14] She appeared with Rostova and another of Rostova's pupils, Montgomery Clift, Off-Broadway in The Sea Gull (1954).[15] Additionally, in his book Sanford Meisner on Acting, Meisner cites Stapleton as being "a wonderful actress." The pair starred together on Broadway in The Cold Wind and the Warm.[16]
She was nominated for a 1975 Grammy Award for the spoken word recording of To Kill a Mockingbird.[17]
She hosted the 19th episode of Season 4 of NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1979.
Personal life and death edit
Stapleton's first husband was Max Allentuck, general manager to the producer Kermit Bloomgarden, and her second was playwright David Rayfiel, from whom she divorced in 1966.[18] She had a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Katherine, by her first husband.[19] Her daughter, Katherine Allentuck, played a single movie role, that of "Aggie" in Summer of '42 (Stapleton herself also had a minor, uncredited role in the film as the protagonist's mother, though only her voice is heard; she does not appear on camera). Her son, Daniel Allentuck, is a documentary filmmaker.
Stapleton suffered from anxiety and alcoholism for many years, and once told an interviewer, "The curtain came down, and I went into the vodka."[9] She also said that her unhappy childhood contributed to her insecurities, which included a fear of flying, airplanes, and elevators.[20] A lifelong heavy smoker, Stapleton died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2006 at her home in Lenox, Massachusetts.[9]
In 1981 Hudson Valley Community College in Stapleton's childhood city of Troy, New York, dedicated a theater in her name.[21]
She was not related through her father to All In the Family star Jean Stapleton (who used her mother's maiden name professionally).
Filmography edit
Film edit
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Medic | Evelyn Strauss | episode: Day 10 |
| The Philco Television Playhouse | Daughter | episode: The Mother | |
| 1955 | The Philco Television Playhouse | Mrs. Johnson | episode: Incident in July |
| 1956 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Mrs. Elizabeth Steigerwald | episode: H.R. 8438: The Story of a Lost Boy |
| The Alcoa Hour | Vi Miller | episode: No License to Kill (II) | |
| Studio One in Hollywood | Rachel Johnson | episode: Rachel | |
| 1958 | Kraft Theatre | Sadie Burke | episode: All the King's Men Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Best Single Performance by an Actress |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Pilar | episode: For Whom the Bell Tolls |
| 1960 | CBS Repertoire Workshop | Tessie | episode: Tessie Malfitano and Anton Waldek |
| 1961 | Car 54, Where Are You? | Gypsy Woman | episode: The Gypsy Curse |
| Naked City | Abbey Bick | episode: Ooftus Goofus | |
| 1962 | Naked City | Ruth Cullan | episode: Kill Me While I'm Young So I Can Die Happy! |
| The DuPont Show of the Week | Professor Gretchen Anna Thaelman | episode: The Betrayal | |
| 1964 | East Side/West Side | Molly Cavanaugh | episode: One Drink at a Time |
| 1967 | Among the Paths to Eden | Mary O'Meaghan | (TV movie) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama |
| 1969 | Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall | Ruthie Maxwell | (TV movie) |
| 1974 | Tell Me Where It Hurts | Connie | (TV movie) |
| 1975 | Queen of the Stardust Ballroom | Bea Asher | (TV movie) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy |
| 1976 | The Lively Arts | Amanda Wingfield in 'The Glass Menagerie' | episode: Tennessee Williams |
| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Mama | (TV movie) | |
| 1977 | The Gathering | Kate | (TV movie) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special |
| 1979 | Letters from Frank | Betty Miller | (TV movie) |
| The Gathering, Part II | Kate Thornton | (TV movie) | |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Maureen Stapleton/Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow" | |
| 1982 | The Electric Grandmother | Grandmother | (TV movie) |
| Little Gloria... Happy at Last | Nurse Emma Kieslich | (TV movie) | |
| 1983 | Great Performances | White Queen | episode: Alice in Wonderland |
| 1984 | Sentimental Journey | Ruthie | (TV movie) |
| Family Secrets | Maggie Lukauer | (TV movie) | |
| 1985 | Private Sessions | Dr. Liz Bolger | (TV movie) |
| 1988 | The Thorns | Peggy Mrs. Hamilton | episode: The Other Maid episode: The Maid |
| Liberace: Behind the Music | Frances Liberace | (TV movie) | |
| 1989 | B.L. Stryker | Auntie Sue | episode: Auntie Sue Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series |
| The Equalizer | Emily Rutherford | episode: The Caper | |
| 1992 | Last Wish | Ida Rollin | (TV movie) |
| Miss Rose White | Tanta Perla | (TV movie) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | |
| Lincoln | Sarah Bush Lincoln | (voice) (TV movie) | |
| 1995 | Road to Avonlea | Maggie MacPhee | episode: What a Tangled Web We Weave Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series |
Stage edit
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–1947 | The Playboy of the Western World | Sara Tansey / Pegeen Mike (replacement) | Booth Theatre | 81 performances |
| 1947–1948 | Antony and Cleopatra | Iras | Martin Beck Theatre | 126 performances |
| 1949–1950 | Detective Story | Miss Hatch | Hudson Theatre Broadhurst Theatre | 581 performances |
| 1950 | The Bird Cage | Emily Williams | Coronet Theatre | 21 performances |
| 1951 | The Rose Tattoo | Serafina Delle Rose | Martin Beck Theatre | 306 performances Theatre World Award for Outstanding Individual Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play |
| 1953 | The Crucible | Elizabeth Proctoer (replacement) | Martin Beck Theatre | |
| 1953 | The Emperor's Clothes | Bella | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | 16 performances |
| 1953 | Richard III | Lady Anne | New York City Center | 15 performances |
| 1955 | All in One | Flora Meighan | Playhouse Theatre | 47 performances |
| 1957 | Orpheus Descending | Lady Torrance | Martin Beck Theatre | 68 performances |
| 1958–1959 | The Cold Wind And The Warm | Aunt Ida | Morosco Theatre | 120 performances Nominated – Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play |
| 1960–1961 | Toys in the Attic | Carrie Berniers | Hudson Theatre | 456 performances Nominated – Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play |
| 1965 | The Glass Menagerie | The Mother | Brooks Atkinson Theatre | 175 performances |
| 1966 | The Rose Tattoo | Serafina Delle Rose | Billy Rose Theatre | 62 performances |
| 1968–1970 | Plaza Suite | Karen Nash / Muriel Tate / Norma Hubley | Plymouth Theatre | 1,097 performances Nominated – Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play |
| 1970 | Norman, Is That You? | Beatrice Chambers | Lyceum Theatre | 12 performances |
| 1970–1971 | The Gingerbread Lady | Evy Meara | Plymouth Theatre | 193 performances Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play |
| 1972 | The Country Girl | Georgie Elgin | Billy Rose Theatre | 61 performances |
| 1972 | The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild | Mildred Wild | Ambassador Theatre | 23 performances |
| 1975–1976 | The Glass Menagerie | The Mother | Circle in the Square Theatre | 77 performances |
| 1977–1978 | The Gin Game | Fonisa Dorsey (replacement) | John Golden Theatre | |
| 1981 | The Little Foxes | Birdie Hubbard | Martin Beck Theatre | 126 performances Nominated – Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play |
References edit
- ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2006/03/14/maureen-stapleton/a505269b-9feb-42fb-aac4-787734448757/
- ^ a b "Maureen Stapleton". Television Academy. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Maureen Stapleton Tony Awards Info". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Maureen Stapleton: Almost an EGOT". Legacy. March 13, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Sean O'Driscol (March 2006). . Irish Abroad. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
- ^ Tom Vallance (March 15, 2006). . The Independent. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
- ^ . CBS News. The Associated Press. March 13, 2006. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
- ^ Robert Berkvist (March 19, 2006). "Maureen Stapleton; actress collected Oscar, Tonys, Emmy". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c Berkvist, Robert (March 13, 2006). "Maureen Stapleton, Oscar-Winning Actress, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
- ^ Mosel, "Leading Lady: The World and Theatre of Katharine Cornell
- ^ a b c "Maureen Stapleton". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ The Oscar Acceptance Speech: By and Large, It's a Lost Art Washington Post. March 21, 1999.
- ^ "26 Elected to the Theater Hall of Fame." The New York Times, March 3, 1981.
- ^ Stapleton, Maureen; Scovell, Jane (1995). A Hell of a Life: An Autobiography. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-81092-8.
- ^ "The Seagull". www.iobdb.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Hultman, Jon B. (February 5, 1997). "Sanford Meisner". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "Maureen Stapleton". GRAMMY.com. May 19, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Daniel McEneny (June 2009). . New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
- ^ Berkvist, Robert (March 13, 2006). "Maureen Stapleton, Oscar-Winning Actress, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ^ Haun, Harry (September 20, 2006). "Friends and Colleagues Remember Maureen Stapleton at Memorial". Playbill. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "College to Call Theater The Maureen Stapleton". The New York Times. November 30, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
- ^ "Overnight fire destroys Heiden Hotel of Sweet Lorraine fame". Times Herald-Record. Middletown, New York. May 18, 2008. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
External links edit
- Maureen Stapleton at IMDb
- Maureen Stapleton at the Internet Broadway Database
- Maureen Stapleton at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Maureen Stapleton at Find a Grave
- Maureen Stapleton at the University of Wisconsin's
- Maureen Stapleton Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.