Glynis Johns

Not to be confused with Glyn Johns.

Glynis Johns
Johns in 1952
Born	Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (1923-10-05) 5 October 1923 Pretoria, Union of South Africa
Citizenship	United Kingdom South Africa
Education	Clifton High School Cone School of Dancing South Hampstead High School
Occupations	Actress dancer pianist singer
Years active	1923–1999
Spouse(s)	Anthony Forwood ​ ​ (m. 1942; div. 1948)​ David Foster ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1956)​ Cecil Henderson ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1962)​ Elliott Arnold ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1973)​
Children	Gareth Forwood
Parent	Mervyn Johns (father)
Relatives	Diana Churchill (stepmother) John Geoffrey Jones (cousin)
Signature
File:GlynisJohnsSignature.png

Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She is the recipient of awards and nominations in various drama award denominations, including the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Laurel Awards, the Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Awards, and the Laurence Olivier Awards, within which she has won two thirds of her award nominations. As one of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and classical years of British cinema, she has several longetivity records to her name.

Born in Pretoria, South Africa while her parents were on tour, Johns made several appearances on stage throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s. Her family returned to the United Kingdom, where she was educated in London and Bristol. She was hailed for her dancing skills and typecast as a stage dancer from early adolescence, making her screen debut in 1938 with the film adaptation of Winifred Holtby's posthumous novel South Riding. She rose to prominence in the 1940s following her role as Anna in the war drama film 49th Parallel (1941), for which she won a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting, and starring roles in Miranda (1948) and Third Time Lucky (1949).

The 1951 black-and-white aviation drama film No Highway in the Sky, a joint British-American production, was Johns' first role in Hollywood cinema. She continued throughout the following decades with starring roles in the United Kingdom and abroad, including 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). Renowned for the breathy quality of her husky voice, Johns sang songs written specifically for her both on screen and stage, including "Send In the Clowns", composed by Stephen Sondheim for Broadway's A Little Night Music, in which she originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt and for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and "Sister Suffragette", written by the Sherman Brothers for Walt Disney's musical motion picture Mary Poppins, in which she played Winifred Banks and for which she won a Laurel Award for Best Female Supporting Performance.

In 2016, with the death of Zsa Zsa Gabor, Johns became the oldest living Batman cast member. With the death of Olivia de Havilland in 2020, she became the oldest living and longest surviving Academy Award nominee in any acting category. Similarly, Johns is currently the oldest living and longest surviving Disney Legend, having been honoured in 1998.

Early life and education

There were situations that were hard for parents to turn down. It’s difficult to turn down a chance to star with Laurence Olivier, to say, ‘No, she has to go to school’. They had a big decision to make... I was interested in everything. I wanted to be a scientist. I would’ve loved to go on and on at university. But you can’t do everything in life.

— Glynis Johns
Los Angeles Times, 17 April 1991

Johns was born into a theatrical family. Her mother was Australian-born concert pianist Alyce Steel (born Alice Maude Steele-Wareham) who had studied in London and Vienna. Originally of English descent, her family found fame as performing actors, singers and musicians, touring Australia, New Zealand and South Africa with their musical programs; her mother, Elizabeth Steele-Wareham (née Payne) was one of the first accomplished women violinists of her time. Johns' father was Welsh actor Mervyn Johns, who became a star of British films during the Second World War and worked regularly at Ealing Studios. Mervyn's roots were in West Wales; he was the brother of Oxford academic Howard Johns, who became the rector of Pusey and Weston-on-the-Green, and an uncle of British judge John Geoffrey Jones. Alyce and Mervyn met while studying in London, he at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and she at the Royal Academy of Music. They married on 17 November 1922 in St Giles, London, and began touring with her family's theatre company. While touring South Africa on 23 October 1923, their only child Glynis Margaret Payne Johns was born, named for her paternal grandmother, Margaret Anne John (née Samuel), and her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Steele-Wareham (née Payne). She later became the fourth generation in their family to act on stage.

The family returned to Britain, where Mervyn Johns continued to train with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began his career in repertory theatre in 1926. At age 5, Glynis Johns joined the London Ballet School; by 6, she was hailed in Britain as a dancing wonder; by 10, she was working as a Ballet instructor; and by 11, she had earned a degree to teach. Hoping to study with the Sadler's Wells Ballet at age 12, she was enrolled instead at Clifton High School in Bristol, balancing academia with the two hours a week she spent at the Cone School of Dancing (which later merged with the Ripman School to form Tring Park School for the Performing Arts). Aside from her Clifton education, Johns also attended South Hampstead High School in London, where she was two years above Dame Angela Lansbury, later an actress who became another of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, predeceasing Johns in 2022.

Career

1920s

In October 1923, Johns made her theatrical debut at just three-weeks old, carried on stage by her grandmother, Elizabeth Steele-Wareham (née Payne), a violinist-impresario who had inherited the production's company from her father. Encouraged by her parents, Johns made several stage appearances throughout the decade.

1930s

In 1931 at the age of 8, Johns was cast as Sonia Kuman in Elmer Rice's Judgement Day at the Phoenix Theatre in London. She played alongside theatre actors Sir Lewis Casson, Ronald Adam, and George Woodbridge, who played Judge Vlora, Judge Tsankov and Judge Sturdza respectively. As a child ballerina in 1935, Johns played Ursula in Buckie's Bears; this production lasted from 27 December 1935 to 11 January 1936 at the Garrick Theatre. Her proficiency in dance led her to be cast in several children's plays throughout the 1930s, notably during the Christmas holidays. She was spotted by a manager and subsequently cast in her first major stage production, as Napoleon's daughter in the 1936 short play St Helena at The Old Vic; she was in productions of The Children's Hour and The Melody That Got Lost the same year. Following this, she was recast as Sonia Kuman in Elmer Rice's 1937 production of Judgement Day (this time at London's Strand Theatre), J. M. Barrie's 1937 play A Kiss for Cinderella, and Esther McCracken's 1938 play Quiet Wedding, in which she played the bridesmaid Miranda Bute at Piccadilly Theatre, London.

Johns made her screen debut in 1938 with the film adaptation of Winifred Holtby's novel South Riding. She had small roles in David Evans' 1938 crime film Murder in the Family and in Brian Desmond Hurst's 1938 black-and-white crime film Prison Without Bars and 1939 thriller On the Night of the Fire.

1940s

Johns with baby on stage

Johns' stage and film work in the late 1930s laid the foundation for her film career in the 1940s. She averaged one and a half films a year throughout the decade, starting in 1940 with Under Your Hat, in which she played Winnie, a supporting character to Jack Hulbert's Jack Millett and Cicely Courtneidge's Kay Millett in this musical comedy spy film. Johns' scene in the 1941 British historical drama The Prime Minister as Miss Sheridan did not make the final cut, though her role in the 1941 British and Canadian war drama film 49th Parallel, in which she replaced Elisabeth Bergner as Anna, earned her a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting and international acclaim. She continued with supporting roles as Paula Palacek in the 1943 British spy film The Adventures of Tartu, Gwyneth in the 1944 British drama film The Halfway House, Dizzy Clayton in the 1945 British drama film Perfect Strangers, for which Radio Times' Robyn Karney said she was "excellent", and starring roles as Millie in the 1946 British comedy film This Man Is Mine and Judy in the 1947 British drama film Frieda.

For her role as Miranda Trewella in Ken Annakin's eponymous 1948 black and white comedy film, in which she causes havoc in a London household, David L. Vineyard on MysteryFile writes that "Johns is a revelation: long platinum hair, Khirghiz eyes, and that breathless voice, perfect for this sexy romp," with ScreenOnline's Matthew Coniam adding that "Miranda... is played ideally by Glynis Johns... a strikingly unusual actress facially reminiscent of Gloria Grahame, with a melodic, purring voice." Johns starred in two films the following year: Dear Mr. Prohack as Mimi Warburton and Third Time Lucky as Joan Burns. Of the latter, Flint on Letterboxd wrote that "Glynis is as winningly winsome as ever, her husky tones approximating a British Jean Arthur."

On stage, she reprised her role as Miranda Bute in Richard Bird's play Quiet Weekend, which ran from 22 July 1941 to 29 January 1944 at Wyndham’s Theatre in London. During The Blitz, Johns was recast in Judgement Day, which she played at the Phoenix Theatre in London despite the dangers posed by German bombers. Following this, she appeared in Peter Pan at the Cambridge Theatre in 1943, I'll See You Again in 1944, and Fools Rush In in 1946.

1950s

Johns with Danny Kaye and Cecil Parker in 1955

Johns in 1951

In the 1950s, Johns enjoyed more film roles than any decade preceding. Her successes in Miranda (1948), Third Time Lucky (1949) and others made her a household name, both in Britain and America; director Ken Annakin was an early admirer of Johns' work.

In 1950, she starred in Sidney Gilliat's drama thriller film State Secret with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Jack Hawkins; as Lisa Robinson, she was Fairbanks' love interest; the two cause havoc in a fictitious East-European country and ultimately flee to America to start their new life together. Johns supported Richard Todd in Flesh and Blood the following year and having previously declined parts in Hollywood productions, because of her loving devotion to British cinema, appeared in the Hollywood-financed No Highway in the Sky, directed by Henry Koster. She co-starred with David Niven in Appointment with Venus (1951) for director Ralph Thomas, and was one of several names in the 1951 anthology film Encore and John Boulting's Technicolour biographical drama film The Magic Box of the same year. In The Card (1952), she was Alec Guinness' main love interest, dance teacher Ruth Earp, for which The New York Times' Bosley Crowther writes that "Miss Johns' self-propelling young lady is a bundle of feminine guile."

Johns was reunited with Richard Todd for two swashbucklers made for Walt Disney: The Sword and the Rose (1953), directed by Ken Annakin, and Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1953). At the same time, she made Personal Affair, a British drama film starring Gene Tierney and directed by Anthony Pelissier, in which Johns pursues her Latin teacher, Leo Genn's Kay Barlow. The following year, Johns had the starring role in J. Lee Thompson's drama film The Weak and the Wicked, playing upper-class prisoner Jean Raymond, for which she was widely praised. Johns did another for Annakin, The Seekers (1954), in which she portrayed Marion Southey, fiance to Jack Hawkins' Philip Wayne, then co-starred with Robert Newton in The Beachcomber (1954). For both these films, she was paid £12,500 a picture.

Ralph Thomas' 1954 Technicolor comedy film Mad About Men starred Johns alongside actors Donald Sinden and Anne Crawford in this sequel to Miranda. Johns starred in the 1955 comedy Josephine and Men and supported Danny Kaye in the musical-comedy medieval romance costume drama film The Court Jester of the same year, playing Jean with "cunning precision". Annakin used her again in Loser Takes All (1956) and she was one of the many actors who made cameos in Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Alongside Cameron Mitchell, Johns starred in the 1957 Technicolor melodrama film All Mine to Give, based on the novel by Dale Eunson and his wife Katherine Albert. Johns returned to Britain to make Another Time, Another Place (1958) with Lana Turner and starred as Kitty Brady in Shake Hands with the Devil (1959), in which she was "wonderful as always".

In the West End, Johns starred in two 1950 productions: Fools Rush In at the Fortune Theatre and The Way Things Go at the Phoenix Theatre. On Broadway, Johns played the title role in Herman Shumlin's 1952 play Gertie. Johns returned to Broadway in 1956 to play the title role in a production of Major Barbara and stayed to make the melodrama All Mine to Give in 1957.

1960s

Johns in c.1960

In 1960, Johns starred in Godfrey Grayson's mystery film The Spider's Web, a screen adaptation of the 1954 play Spider's Web by Agatha Christie. She had a supporting role in The Sundowners (1960), for which Variety wrote that "Glynis Johns is a vivacious delight", with The New York Times' Bosley Crowther adding that her role as Mrs. Firth (which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress) was "played richly" and with effervescence. Johns starred in the remake of The Cabinet of Caligari (1962) as the easily-offended and oft-frightened Jane Lindstrom, and was one of several stars in George Cukor's 1962 Technicolor drama film The Chapman Report. She supported Jackie Gleason in George Marshall's 1963 adaptation of the eponymous Corinne Griffith memoir Papa's Delicate Condition, a role described by Jeffrey Kauffman as "neatly understated".

Mary Poppins (1964) is considered Walt Disney's crowning live-action achievement, and is the only one of his films which earned a Best Picture nomination during his lifetime. In it, Johns plays Winifred Banks, the wife of George Banks, mother of Jane and Michael, and member of Emmeline Pankhurst's "Votes for Women" suffrage movement, to which she is completely dedicated. When first approached by Walt Disney, Johns thought it was to play the title role of Mary Poppins, not Mrs. Banks. To ensure she accepted, he explained the mishap over lunch and arranged for the Sherman Brothers to write her a musical number: the song "Sister Suffragette", a pro-suffrage protest song pastiche, was written in 1964 with her in mind. "Johns is endearing as the mother," writes The Hollywood Reporter's James Powershappy in 1964, "happy as a lark at getting chained to a lamp post for the cause... she comes in strongly as a singing actor."

The following year, Johns was cast in Henry Koster's DeLuxe Color family–comedy Dear Brigitte as the aesthete Vina, wife of James Stewart, whom she had first acted with 14 years earlier in No Highway in the Sky. She appeared in various character roles in the 1968 American comedy film Don't Just Stand There!, written by Charles Williams, and the 1969 British comedy film Lock Up Your Daughters, directed by Peter Coe.

Johns as Winifred Banks in the trailer of Mary Poppins (1964)

Johns was cast in 1961 in the ABC/Warner Bros. crime drama The Roaring 20s. She portrayed Kitty O'Moyne, an Irish immigrant who falls overboard into the harbour as she arrives in the United States. In the episode A Game for Alternate Mondays of the 1962–63 television season, Johns guest-starred in the CBS anthology series The Lloyd Bridges Show, playing widow Leah Marquand, with Leslye Hunter as her daughter Isabella. On 5 August 1963, Vacation Playhouse premired on CBS with the episode Hide and Seek. The original working title for the series was The Glynis Johns Show; in it, Johns played the neophyte mystery writer and amateur sleuth Glynis Granvile. In the autumn of that year, she and Keith Andes starred as a married couple in her eponymous CBS television series Glynis, in which she again played Glynis Granville and Andes a criminal defence attorney. Due to pressure from NBC's The Virginian and Bill Cullen's The Price Is Right game show on ABC, the programme was cancelled after thirteen episodes. In 1965, when CBS reran the series as a summer replacement for The Lucy Show, Glynis ranked #6 in the Nielsen ratings. In 1967, Johns appeared in 4 episodes of the Batman television series as villainess Lady Penelope Peasoup, one half of the Ffogg duo with Rudy Vallée as Lord Marmaduke Ffogg.

Johns was in Too True to Be Good on Broadway in 1963 and The King's Mare at the Garrick Theatre in 1966, in which she played Anne of Cleves. From 1969 and into the 1970s, she turned increasingly to stage work, appearing in A Talent to Amuse (1969).

1970s

File:Johns&CariouinALittleNightMusic.jpg

Johns and Len Cariou in Broadway's A Little Night Music

In the 1970s, Johns' career focus was on the stage. Following her appearance in earlier Cowardian productions, Johns starred in two more Coward plays in the early 1970s: from 27 January 1970 to September 1970, she was in Come As You Are at London's New Theatre and Strand Theatre, and from 6 March 1972 to 12 March 1972, she was in Marquise at the Bristol Hippodrome in England.

In 1973, Johns was in the original cast of A Little Night Music, written by Stephen Sondheim, which premiered at 18:30 on 25 February at the Shubert Theatre in New York. The song "Send In the Clowns" was written with her in mind. Commenting on director Harold Prince in a 1973 interview, she says he "‘has eyes in the back of his head and a real driving force, a life force. And with it goes a great deal of loge. He calls us “crew” and himself “captain,” and he's heartbroken when opening night is over, simply because he doesn't want to be away from us. I think he falls in love with his company.’" For her role as Desiree Armfeldt, she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. As Anthony Tommasini put it in The New York Times: "Stephen Sondheim composed his most famous song, "Send In the Clowns," for an actress with virtually no voice, Glynis Johns, and few genuine singers have performed it as effectively."

Following this, Johns starred in Joseph Hardy's production of Ring Round the Moon at the Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles, from 1 April 1975 to 10 May 1975, with stage actor Michael York. From 17 March 1976, she starred in Peter Dews' production of 13 Rue de l'Amour at the Phoenix Theatre in London with film and stage actor Louis Jourdan. This production was held at the Theatre Royal in Norwich; it closed on 8 May 1976. From 1977 to March 1978, Johns starred as Alma Rattenbury in a production of Cause Célèbre at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London and Leicester Haymarket Theatre.

Johns' film roles of the 1970s included playing Myfanwy Price in Andrew Sinclair's 1972 drama film Under Milk Wood, Eleanor Critchit in Roy Ward Baker's 1973 anthology horror film The Vault of Horror, Swallow in the 1974 short film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince and Mrs. Amworth in the 1977 British-Canadian horror anthology film Three Dangerous Ladies, a reprisal of the role. Of her original performance as Mrs. Amworth in the eponymous 1975 short film, Ian Holloway on Wyrd Britain writes that "the titular lady" is "played with flamboyant aplomb by the fabulous Glynis Johns."

1980s

In classical theatre in Europe, everybody plays all kinds of parts. Juliets go on to play the Nurses; they don't want to play Juliet again. I think we've got to remember to grab onto our perks, whatever is the good thing about each age. Each stage of life should be a progression.

—Glynis Johns

Johns appeared in Noël Coward's comic play Hay Fever as Judith Bliss from 4 August 1981 to 10 October 1981 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford and the Theatre Royal in Nottingham. This was her fourth role in a Noël Coward production. From 20 November 1989 to 20 May 1990, she starred as Lady Catherine Champion-Cheney in W Somerset Maugham's Broadway romance The Circle at the Ambassador Theatre in New York.

During the first season of NBC's hit sitcom Cheers, Johns guest-starred as Diane Chambers' mother, Helen Chambers, an eccentric dowager who, due to a stipulation in Diane's late father's will, will lose all her money unless Diane is married by the next day.

During 1988–89, she played Trudie Pepper, a senior citizen living in an Arizona retirement community, in the television sitcom Coming of Age on CBS.

1990s

Johns appeared in just three roles throughout the 1990s, as the grandmother in each. She played the camera-toting grandmother in the 1995 Sandra Bullock hit While You Were Sleeping and the waspish Grandma Rose in Ted Demme's 1994 black comedy film The Ref. Of this role, Caution Spoilers' Sarah notes that "Glynis Johns as the awful Rose is terrific". In 1998, Johns was named a Disney legend in the film category. Her last film appearance to date was as the grandmother of Molly Shannon's Mary Gallagher in the 1999 film Superstar.

On stage, Johns starred as Myrtle Bledsoe in the premiere of Horton Foote's A Coffin in Egypt from June to July 1998 at the Bay Street Theatre in New York.

Public image

In September 1946, when she was still fairly new to the profession, Powell and Pressburger hailed Johns "one of the most sought-after of all young British stars". She was voted by British exhibitors as the 10th most popular box-office star in 1951 and 1952.

The UK and US

A devotee of British cinema, Johns famously said "I would sooner play in a good British picture than in the majority of American pictures I have seen," though her penchant for American cinema cannot be understated. She found her stardom in 1940s Britain (wherein her "glistening blue eyes and perfect comic timing made her British cinema’s most sought-after female lead") and was already a star by the time she was in No Highway in the Sky, a joint British and American production produced in 1951, and her first role in American cinema.

Johns became an indelible part of the cinema histories of both Britain and America, maintaining her British and American careers simultaneously. Following No Highway in the Sky (1951), she took on increasingly more roles in America and elsewhere: the majority of her television credits were American, including her eponymous 1963 sitcom Glynis, though her film and theatre credits (with several notable exceptions) were British.

Johns would later retire to the US, while her son Gareth lived the majority of his life in the UK.

Personal life

Glynis has light brown hair, blue eyes, and is five feet four inches in height. Dancing is still of great interest to her and is her favourite recreation, coupled with the collecting of good syncopated numbers: Glenn Miller's In The Mood is her favourite. Her favourite classical composers are Greig, Mozart and Debussy. Riding, tennis and ice skating are her sports, and her ideal holiday is one spent in a mountain resort where there is plenty of night-life. Her favorite reading is autobiographies, preferably those of celebrities she knows personally.

—The Voice
Saturday, 20 September 1952

In 1947, Johns was maid of honour at the wedding of Muriel Pavlow and Derek Farr, who met in 1941 while filming Quiet Wedding.

Relationships and children

Johns with son Gareth Forwood

Johns has been married four times and engaged five times. Her first husband was Anthony Forwood, whom she married on 29 August 1942 in Westminster, London, and with whom she had her only child, actor Gareth Forwood, on 14 October 1945. They divorced in 1948 and Johns was engaged to be wed to producer Antony Darnborough in 1951, but they, too, ultimately separated. On 1 February 1952 in Manhattan, New York, she married David Ramsey Foster, a Royal Navy officer and later president of Colgate-Palmolive. They divorced on 17 May 1956. She married Cecil Peter Lamont Henderson, a businessman, on 10 October 1960 in Westminster, London; they divorced on 21 June 1962. Her fourth and final husband was writer Elliott Arnold, whom she married on 1 October 1964 in Los Angeles, California. They divorced on 4 January 1973.

In a 1973 interview with Robert Berkvist, Johns describes – in her experience – the compatibility of theatre and marriage: "‘Acting is my highest form of intelligence, the time when I use the best part of my brain. I was always told, by my married friends, for example, that I could apply that intelligence to something else, some other aspect of living, but I can't. I don't have the same flair in other things.’" On the subject of a fifth marriage, she reflected that "‘I'd tread very softly in that area. Very softly. I certainly wouldn't rush into anything again, and I'd have to have an awful lot in common with anyone I'd consider marrying next time. Why so many marriages? It was absolute conservatism on my part. I was brought up to feel that if you wanted to have an affair with a man, well, you married him. I have friends who, if they'd followed that rule, would have collected an awful lot of pieces of paper by now.’"

Following the death of her mother, Alyce Steel, on 1 September 1971 in Westminster, her father married actress Diana Churchill on 4 December 1976 in Hillingdon, London.

Health

Johns has previously suffered from severe migraines. In a 1955 interview with Lydia Lane, she admitted that "‘Only recently have I learned how to relax. And since I have, the migraine headaches which have plagued me for years have disappeared. I’ve finally learned to be still inside. Someone told me once, “When you let God in on your problems, you can let go and relax,” and I’ve found that it works.’"

Following her marriage to David Foster in 1952, she became fourteen pounds overweight. Talking to Lydia Lane, she describes this ordeal: "‘I was relaxed, happy, with little to do and I suppose I simply didn’t burn up as much energy as usual. My appetite stayed the same and I gained a few pounds at a time until one day I discovered I was fourteen pounds overweight.’" Her solution was simple, "‘I’m convinced that weight is a mental problem’" she said. "‘I counted calories for a while but nothing happened until I became really disturbed about it. From that moment on, I began to lose weight and in three weeks I was back to normal. The point I am trying to make is that dieting alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by a strong will and determination to lose [weight].’"

A few days before Johns was due to play Desiree Armfeldt at the opening night of A Little Night Music in 1973, she was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment of an intestinal infection. The debut was postponed by a week and Tammy Grimes was thought to be a likely successor, but to the shock of everybody, including her doctor, Johns rejoined the show after just two days: "‘I was not going to have anybody else sing my songs’” she said.

Longevity

Johns is predeceased by all four of her husbands and her son. Her third husband, Cecil Henderson, died in November 1978 in Oxford, England; her fourth husband, Elliot Arnold, died on 13 May 1980 in New York; her first husband, Anthony Forwood, died from Parkinson's disease on 18 May 1988 in Kensington and Chelsea, London; her second husband, David Foster, died on the 4 June 2010. Her son, Gareth, made his final screen appearance in 2000, playing Hilary Quentin in Rob Heyland's Bomber. He retired from acting and lived the remainder of his life between his apartment in London and house in Santa Monica, California, with his mother. Following cancer complications and a heart attack, he died on 16 October 2007 in London at the age of 62.

Johns currently resides at the Belmont Village Hollywood Heights, a senior living community, located near the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1938	South Riding	Midge Carne	Film debut
	Murder in the Family	Marjorie Osborne
	Prison Without Bars	Nina
1939	On the Night of the Fire	Mary Carr	U.S. title: The Fugitive
1940	Under Your Hat	Winnie
	The Briggs Family	Sheila Briggs
	The Thief of Bagdad	Princess' Maid	Uncredited
	The Prime Minister	Miss Sheridan	Uncredited
1941	49th Parallel	Anna	Won National Board of Review Awards 1942 for Best Acting
1943	The Adventures of Tartu	Paula Palacek	U.S. title: Sabotage Agent
1944	The Halfway House	Gwyneth
1945	Perfect Strangers	Dizzy Clayton	U.S. title: Vacation from Marriage
1946	This Man Is Mine	Millie
1947	Frieda	Judy
	An Ideal Husband	Miss Mabel Chiltern
1948	Miranda	Miranda Trewella
1949	Third Time Lucky	Joan Burns
	Helter Skelter	Miranda Trewella	Uncredited
	Dear Mr. Prohack	Mimi Warburton
1950	State Secret	Lisa Robinson	U.S. title: The Great Manhunt
	The Blue Lamp
1951	Flesh and Blood	Katherine
	No Highway in the Sky	Marjorie Corder	U.S. title: No Highway in the Sky
	Appointment with Venus	Nicola Fallaize	U.S. title: Island Rescue
	Encore	Stella Cotman	Appeared in segment "Gigolo and Gigolette"
	The Magic Box	May Jones
1952	The Card	Ruth Earp	U.S. title: The Promoter
1953	The Sword and the Rose	Princess Mary Tudor
	Personal Affair	Barbara Vining
	Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue	Helen Mary MacPherson MacGregor
1954	The Weak and the Wicked	Jean Raymond	U.S. title: Young and Willing
	The Seekers	Marion Southey	U.S. title: Land of Fury
	The Beachcomber	Martha Jones
	Mad About Men	Caroline Trewella / Miranda Trewella
1955	Josephine and Men	Josephine Luton
	The Court Jester	Maid Jean
1956	Loser Takes All	Cary
	Around the World in 80 Days	Sporting lady's companion
1957	All Mine to Give	Jo Eunson
1958	Another Time, Another Place	Kay Trevor
1959	Shake Hands with the Devil	Kitty Brady
1960	Last of the Few	Narrator
	The Spider's Web	Clarissa Hailsham-Brown
	The Sundowners	Mrs. Firth	Nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1962	The Cabinet of Caligari	Jane Lindstrom
	The Chapman Report	Teresa Harnish	Nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
1963	Papa's Delicate Condition	Amberlyn Griffith
1964	Mary Poppins	Winifred Banks
1965	Dear Brigitte	Vina Leaf
1968	Don't Just Stand There!	Sabine Manning
1969	Lock Up Your Daughters!	Mrs. Squeezum
1972	Under Milk Wood	Myfanwy Price
1973	The Vault of Horror	Eleanor	Appeared in segment "The Neat Job"
1974	The Happy Prince	Swallow	Voice, Short
1975	Mrs. Amworth	Mrs. Amworth	Short
1977	Three Dangerous Ladies	Mrs. Amworth	Appeared in segment "Mrs. Amworth"
1982	Little Gloria... Happy at Last	Laura Fitzpatrick Morgan	Television Film
1987	Nukie	Sister Anne
1988	Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School	Mrs. Grimwood	Voice, Television Film
	Zelly and Me	Co-Co
1994	The Ref	Rose
1995	While You Were Sleeping	Elsie
1999	Superstar	Grandma	Final film role

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1952	Little Women	Lily Snape	Original title: Studio One
1953	Lux Video Theatre
1956	The Errol Flynn Theatre	Lou McNamara / Susan Tracey	2 episodes
1958	Schlitz Playhouse of Stars		Episode: The Dead Are Silent
	The Frank Sinatra Show	Christine Nolan	Episode: Face of Fear
1961	Adventures in Paradise	Esther Holmes
	The Roaring 20's	Kitty O'Moyne
	General Electric Theater	Alma
	The Naked City	Miss Arlington
1962	The Dick Powell Show	Rosie Sayer
	Dr. Kildare	Sister Brigid Marie
	The Beachcomber	Rosalind Metcalf	Episode: The Search for Robert Herrick
	Saints and Sinners	Lois Hawley
1963	The DuPont Show of the Week	Emily Foster
	The Lloyd Bridges Show	Leah Marquand
	Vacation Playhouse	Glynis Granville
	Glynis	Glynis Granville	13 episodes
1964	Burke's Law	Steffi Bernard
	The Defenders	Catherine Collins
	12 O'clock High	Jennifer Heath
1967	Batman	Lady Penelope Peasoup	4 episodes
1968	ITV Playhouse	Lorraine Barrie	Episode: Star Quality
1982	Little Gloria... Happy at Last	Laura Fitzpatrick Morgan	Television Mini Series
1983	Cheers	Mrs. Helen Chambers
1984	The Love Boat	Edna Miles
	The Crime of Ovide Plouffe		Television Mini Series
1985	Murder, She Wrote	Bridget O'Hara	Episode: Sing a Song of Murder
1987	The Cavanaughs	Maureen	Episode: The Eyes Have Had It
1988-89	Coming of Age	Trudie Pepper	15 episodes
1994	ABC Weekend Specials	Darjeeling	Television Series Short

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Location	Notes	Ref(s)
1931	Judgement Day	Sonia Kuman	Phoenix Theatre
1935	Buckie's Bears	Ursula	Garrick Theatre
1936	St Helena	Napoleon's daughter	Old Vic Theatre
	The Children's Hour	Mary Tilford	Gate Theatre
	The Melody That Got Lost	Elf	Embassy Theatre
1937	Judgement Day	Sonia Kuman	Strand Theatre
	A Kiss for Cinderella	Cinderella	Phoenix Theatre
1938	Quiet Wedding	Miranda Bute	Wyndham's Theatre
1941	Quiet Weekend	Miranda Bute	Wyndham's Theatre
1943	Peter Pan	Peter Pan	Cambridge Theatre
1944	I'll See You Again	Corinne
1946	Fools Rush In	Pam
1950	Fools Rush In	Pam	Fortune Theatre
	The Way Things Go	Mary Flemin	Phoenix Theatre
1952	Gertie	Gertie	Broadway theatre
1956	Major Barbara	Barbara Undershaft	Broadway theatre
1963	Too True to Be Good	Miss Mopply	Broadway theatre
1966	The King's Mare	Anne of Cleves	Garrick Theatre
1969	A Talent to Amuse		Phoenix Theatre
1969-70	Come As You Are	Queen Elizabeth I	New Theatre
1972	The Marquise	Marquise-Thérèse de Gorla	Bristol Hippodrome
1973	A Little Night Music	Desiree Armfeldt	Broadway theatre	Won Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
	Sondheim: A Musical Tribute
1975	Ring Round the Moon	Madame Desmortes	Los Angeles
1976	13 Rue de l'Amour	Leontine	Phoenix Theatre
1978	Cause célèbre	Alma Rattenbury	Her Majesty's Theatre	Won Best Actress Award, Variety Club
1980-81	Hay Fever		Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
1989-90	The Circle	Lady Catherine Champion-Cheney	Broadway theatre
1998	A Coffin in Egypt	Myrtle Bledsoe	Bay Street Theatre

Discography

Year	Title	Role	Song(s)	Notes
1950	State Secret	Lisa Robinson	"Paper Doll"
1954	Mad About Men	Miranda Trewella	"I Can't Resist Men"
1960	The Sundowners	Mrs. Firth	"Botany Bay"
1964	Mary Poppins: Original Cast Soundtrack	Winifred Banks	"Sister Suffragette" "Let's Go Fly a Kite"
1972	The Story Of Peter Pan	Narrator/ Reader		Non-Music
	Snow-White And Rose-Red And Other Andrew Lang Fairy Tales	Narrator/ Reader		Non-Music
	Bambi	Narrator/ Reader		Non-Music
	A Little Night Music (Original Broadway Cast Album)	Desiree Armfeldt	"The Glamorous Life" "You Must Meet My Wife" "Send in the Clowns"
1973	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson	Desiree Armfeldt	"Send in the Clowns"	Episode: 10 May 1973
1981	The Light Princess	Narrator/ Reader		Non-Music
1985	Great Performances	Desiree Armfeldt	"Send in the Clowns"	Episode: The Best of Broadway

Honours and awards

Award	Year	Category	Title of work	Result
National Board of Review	1942	Best Acting	49th Parallel	Won
Academy Award	1961	Best Supporting Actress	The Sundowners	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards	1963	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	The Chapman Report	Nominated
Laurel Awards	1965	Female Supporting Performance	Mary Poppins	Won
Tony Award	1973	Best Actress in a Musical	A Little Night Music	Won
Drama Desk Award	1973	Outstanding Actress in a Musical	A Little Night Music	Won
Laurence Olivier Awards	1977	Actress of the Year in a New Play	Cause célèbre	Nominated
Variety Club	1978	Best Actress	Cause célèbre	Won
Disney Legends	1998			Honoured

See also

• List of British actors
• List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• Cinema of the United Kingdom
• Theatre of the United Kingdom

References

General and cited sources

• Edelman, Rob; Kupferberg, Audrey E. (1996). Angela Lansbury: A Life on Stage and Screen. Secaucus, New Jersey: Carol Publishing Corporation. ISBN 0786434813.
• Lentz, Harris M. (2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2007: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-55972-327-5.

External links

• Glynis Johns at IMDb
• Glynis Johns at the Internet Broadway Database
• Glynis Johns at Turner Classic Movies
• Glynis Johns images at the National Portrait Gallery
• Glynis Johns interview on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs, 24 April 1976