English actress Glynis Johns, best known for her role as the charming feminist Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins, died on January 4. She was 100 years old.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s report, the actress’ manager, Mitch Clem, confirmed that Johns passed away of natural causes at an assisted living home in Los Angeles.
Johns was born on October 5, 1923, in Pretoria, South Africa. The actress was well-known for her charming persona and her sweet, husky voice during her younger years.
Known as a multi-talented artist and an experienced dancer, pianist, and singer, Johns was a prominent star in the late 1940s and has appeared in various features, including Miranda (1948) as the titular flirtatious mermaid, Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964) as the singing suffragist Winifred Banks, Third Time Lucky (1949) as femme fatale Joan Burns, and No Highway in the Sky (1951) as stewardess Marjorie Corder, among many others.
Her early film credits include Helter Skelter (1949) and Mad About Men (1954), before venturing into Hollywood with the 1953 features The Sword and the Rose as Mary Tudor and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue as Helen Mary MacPherson MacGregor.
Born Glynis Margaret Payne Johns, the talented actress earned an Oscar nomination for the best supporting actress category for portraying hotel owner Mrs. Firth in the Fred Zinnemann-directed 1960 comedy drama The Sundowners.
She then won a Tony Award for the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, in which she portrayed Desiree Armfeldt. During the event, the actress memorably performed “Send in the Clowns,” which composer Stephen Sondheim specifically wrote just for her. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for playing socialite Teresa Harnish in 1962’s The Chapman Report.
Some of Johns’ notable roles include Anna on 49th Parallel (1941), Gwyneth in The Halfway House (1944), Jean Raymond in The Weak and the Wicked (1954), Maid Jean in The Court Jester (1955), Clarissa Hailsham-Brown in The Spider’s Web (1960), Jane in The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), and many others.
One of her final film roles included The Ref (1994), While You Were Sleeping (1995), and Superstar (1999). Johns also appeared in various television shows, such as Glynis, Batman, Little Gloria… Happy at Last, Cheers, and Coming of Age.
ComingSoon sends condolences to Johns’ friends and family during this difficult time.
