Glynis Johns.Photo:SGranitz/WireImage
SGranitz/WireImage
Glynis Johns, theAcademy Award-nominated actor who costarred withJulie Andrewsin the classic 1964 filmMary Poppinsas Winifred Banks, has died. She was 100.
Her manager, Mitch Clem, toldVarietyJohns died Thursday at an assisted living facility in Los Angeles of natural causes.
“Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives,” Clem said in a statement. “She entered my life early in my career and set a very high bar on how to navigate this industry with grace, class, and truth. Your own truth. Her light shined very brightly for 100 years."
David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Matthew Garber, Karen Dotrice in ‘Mary Poppins’.Donaldson Collection/Getty
Donaldson Collection/Getty
A 1963 profile of Johns inThe Desert Sundescribed her as the “fourth generation of a theatrical family” and reported that she made her theatrical debut at just three weeks old when her parents brought her onstage during a performance “for presentation to her first audience.”
Johns made her onscreen debut at age 13 in 1938’sSouth Riding.She earned 91 onscreen credits over a six-decade career, per herIMDb page. She receivedBest Supporting Actress Oscar nominationin 1961 for her performance inThe Sundowners.
Just three years later, Johns starred as Mrs. Banks inMary Poppins, costarring alongside Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and David Tomlinson in the Disney classic. Johns initially thought she was cast as Mary Poppins in the movie, leading Walt Disney to request the production to write a song for Mrs. Banks. The effort resulted in the movie’s song “Sister Suffragette,” asVarietyreported Thursday.
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Glynis Johns (center) in ‘Mary Poppins’.Everett
Everett
In the years afterMary Poppins, Johns made appearances in everything from the 1960sBatmantelevision series to episodes ofCheersandMurder, She Wrotein the 1980s. Her final onscreen credits came for the 1995 movieWhile You Were Sleepingand inMolly Shannon’s 1999 comedySuperstar, in which she played Shannon’s character’s grandmother.
Glynis Johns.Screen Archives/Getty
Screen Archives/Getty
John, who turned 100 in October 2023, told Los Angeles-area news outletABC7one day before her birthday that she did not feel any different even as she reached the milestone birthday.
“It doesn’t make any difference to me,” she said at the time. “Well, I looked very good for every age.”
Johns was married and divorced four times. She shared one son, actor Gareth Forwood, with her first husband Anthony Forwood. Gareth died in 2007, as multiple outlets reported.
source: people.com
