Glynis Johns

Glynis Margaret Payne Johns was born on 5 October 1923 in Pretoria, South Africa, and died on 4 January 2024 at the age of 100. Her father was Welsh actor Mervyn Johns, who became a prominent figure in British cinema, particularly at Ealing Studios during and after the Second World War. Her mother, Alyce Steele-Wareham, was an Australian-born concert pianist of English descent who had trained in London and Vienna. Johns received her middle names Margaret and Payne from her two grandmothers. The family returned to England shortly after her birth, and Johns began her formal dance training at the London Ballet School at age five. By age ten she was working as a ballet instructor, and by eleven she had earned a degree to teach dance. She accumulated approximately twenty-five gold medals as a dance student and attended both Clifton High School in Bristol and South Hampstead High School in London, where she was a contemporary of Angela Lansbury.

Johns made her theatrical debut at three weeks old when her grandmother carried her onto the London stage, making her the fourth generation of her mother's family to appear in performance. Her early stage work through the 1930s included a role as Sonia Kuman in Elmer Rice's Judgement Day at the Phoenix Theatre in 1931, a part she reprised at the Strand Theatre in 1937. She also appeared in Buckie's Bears at the Garrick Theatre in 1935, in the 1936 short play St Helena at The Old Vic, and in productions of The Children's Hour, The Melody That Got Lost, J. M. Barrie's A Kiss for Cinderella, and Esther McCracken's Quiet Wedding, all in the same period. Her screen debut came in 1938 with the film South Riding, produced by Alexander Korda and directed by Victor Saville, in which she played Midge Carne opposite Ralph Richardson.

Throughout the 1940s, Johns averaged roughly one and a half films per year. Her role as Anna in the 1941 British and Canadian war drama 49th Parallel, for which she replaced Elisabeth Bergner, earned her a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting and brought her international recognition. She continued building her film career with supporting roles in The Adventures of Tartu (1943), The Halfway House (1944), and Perfect Strangers (1945), followed by starring roles in This Man Is Mine (1946), Frieda (1947), and the comedy Miranda (1948), in which she played a Cornish mermaid. Third Time Lucky followed in 1949. The joint British-American production No Highway in the Sky (1951) marked a turning point, after which Johns took on an increasing number of roles in the United States.

Her Broadway career spanned from 1952 to 1989. She made her Broadway debut in 1952, the same year she made her television debut, and went on to appear in productions including Gertie, Major Barbara, The Circle, and Sondheim: A Musical Tribute. Her most celebrated stage achievement came in 1973 when she originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, performing the song "Send In the Clowns," which Sondheim composed specifically for her voice. The performance earned her both the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance in 1973. Her Broadway work continued through 1989.

Beyond the stage, Johns appeared in more than 60 films over a career exceeding seven decades. Notable screen credits include 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). She starred in her own television sitcom, Glynis, in 1963. Among her most recognized screen roles was Winifred Banks in Disney's Mary Poppins (1964), for which she performed "Sister Suffragette," written by the Sherman Brothers and for which she received a Laurel Award. Her career brought her nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to the Tony and Drama Desk Awards she won. At the time of her death, she was regarded as one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the classical era of British cinema.