Anne Bancroft

Anne Bancroft made her screen debut in 1952 with a major role in the psychological thriller Don’t Bother to Knock. Over the next five years, she appeared in 14 films, including Treasure of the Golden Condor (1953), Gorilla at Large (1954), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), New York Confidential (1955) and Walk the Proud Land (1956). She also appeared in The Last Hunt (1955), although her role was subsequently taken over by Debra Paget.

In 1957, Bancroft appeared in Nightfall, directed by Jacques Tourneur and based on the work of David Goodis. She made her Broadway debut in 1958 as Gittel Mosca in William Gibson’s Two for the Seesaw, opposite Henry Fonda and directed by Arthur Penn. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the role.

In 1960, Bancroft starred as Annie Sullivan in the Broadway production of William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker, directed by Arthur Penn. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She reprised the role in the 1962 film adaptation of The Miracle Worker and won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1964, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for The Pumpkin Eater.

In 1965, Bancroft co-starred in the Broadway production of John Whiting’s The Devils, playing a medieval nun opposite Jason Robards. The production was directed by Michael Cacoyannis and ran for 63 performances. In 1967, she starred as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, earning her a third Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Bancroft appeared in the television special Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man in 1970, winning an Emmy Award for her singing and acting. In 1974, she appeared in the television special Annie and the Hoods, which aired on ABC, and made an uncredited appearance in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles.

In 1977, Bancroft starred in The Turning Point. She made her screenwriting and directing debut with Fatso in 1980, which she also starred in alongside Dom DeLuise. In 1983, she appeared in To Be or Not to Be with Mel Brooks. In 1985, she starred in Agnes of God, earning two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1988, she portrayed the mother of Harvey Fierstein’s character in the film adaptation of Torch Song Trilogy.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Bancroft appeared in supporting roles in numerous films. Her credits included Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Love Potion No. 9 (1992), Malice (1993), Point of No Return (1993), Home for the Holidays (1995), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), G.I. Jane (1997), Great Expectations (1998), Keeping the Faith (2000), Up at the Villa (2000) and Heartbreakers (2001). She also provided a voice for the animated film Antz (1998).

Bancroft appeared in television movies and miniseries throughout her career and received six Emmy Award nominations, eight Golden Globe nominations and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. She won two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award.

In 2004, Bancroft appeared as herself in an episode of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. She was also cast in Spanglish (2004), but withdrew from the film due to a medical emergency. Her final acting project was the animated feature Delgo, which was released posthumously in 2008.

Bancroft’s stage work included the one-act play The Miracle Worker and Two for the Seesaw, as well as her work in The Devils. She won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for her portrayal of Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker. She was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1992 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her television work.

She died on June 6, 2005.