Marian Winters
Encyclopedia
Marian Winters was an American
actress of stage
, film
, and television
.
in Brooklyn
.
She began her career on Broadway understudying Frances Dee
in The Secret Room (1945). She also played Lady Constance in King John, and toured in Detective Story
, The Heiress
and Dream Girl
. She achieved fame for her role in I Am a Camera
as Natalia Landauer. For this performance she was awarded the 1952 Tony Award
as a Best Supporting or Featured Actress. In 1955, she played the part of Gelda in Katharine Cornell
's production of "The Light is Dark Enough, a verse drama by Christopher Fry
.
Deathtrap
, her final play, was the most financially and critically successful (aside from Auntie Mame
). Her role (played by Irene Worth
in the film version), however, was cut short due to cancer
, from which she died in NYC on 3 November 1978, aged 54. She was succeeded in the role by actress Elizabeth Parrish
.
She was married once, but had no children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress of stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Biography
Born in New York City, New York to a Jewish-American family, Winters made her debut in summerstock at age sixteen. She attended Erasmus Hall High SchoolErasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall Campus High School is a four-year public high school in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States operated by the New York City Department of Education....
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
She began her career on Broadway understudying Frances Dee
Frances Dee
Frances Marion Dee was an American actress. She starred opposite Maurice Chevalier in the early talkie musical, The Playboy of Paris...
in The Secret Room (1945). She also played Lady Constance in King John, and toured in Detective Story
Detective Story (play)
Detective Story is a 1949 play in three acts by American playwright Sidney Kingsley. The play opened on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre on March 23, 1949 where it played until the production moved to the Broadhurst Theatre on July 3, 1950. The production closed on August 12, 1950 after 581 ...
, The Heiress
The Heiress
The Heiress is a 1949 American drama film. It was written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 play of the same title that was based on the 1880 novel Washington Square by Henry James. The film was directed by William Wyler, with starring performances by Olivia de Havilland as...
and Dream Girl
Dream Girl (play)
Dream Girl is a play by Elmer Rice.At its core is Georgina Allerton, a young woman whose efforts to run a bookstore are undermined severely by her tendency to drift off into Walter Mitty-like flights of fancy on a regular basis...
. She achieved fame for her role in I Am a Camera
I Am a Camera
I Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play inspired by Christopher Isherwood's novel Goodbye to Berlin which is part of The Berlin Stories...
as Natalia Landauer. For this performance she was awarded the 1952 Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
as a Best Supporting or Featured Actress. In 1955, she played the part of Gelda in Katharine Cornell
Katharine Cornell
Katharine Cornell was an American stage actress, writer, theater owner and producer. She was born to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York.Cornell is known as the greatest American stage actress of the 20th century...
's production of "The Light is Dark Enough, a verse drama by Christopher Fry
Christopher Fry
Christopher Fry was an English playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, notably The Lady's Not for Burning, which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:...
.
Deathtrap
Deathtrap (play)
Deathtrap is a play by Ira Levin in 1978 which encompasses many plot twists and is essentially a play within a play. It is a play in two acts with one set and five characters. It holds the record for the longest running comedy-thriller on Broadway and was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best...
, her final play, was the most financially and critically successful (aside from Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame is a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many...
). Her role (played by Irene Worth
Irene Worth
Irene Worth, CBE was an American stage and screen actress who became one of the leading stars of the English and American theatre. -Early life:...
in the film version), however, was cut short due to cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, from which she died in NYC on 3 November 1978, aged 54. She was succeeded in the role by actress Elizabeth Parrish
Elizabeth Parrish
Elizabeth Parrish is an American singer and actress.-Career:In 2004 in New York, Parrish appeared in a one-woman musical revue, Moments of Being, with Betsy....
.
She was married once, but had no children.
Stage productions
- DeathtrapDeathtrap (play)Deathtrap is a play by Ira Levin in 1978 which encompasses many plot twists and is essentially a play within a play. It is a play in two acts with one set and five characters. It holds the record for the longest running comedy-thriller on Broadway and was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best...
as Helga ten Dorp from 26 February 1978 until October 1978 - Mating Dance from 3 November 1965 to 3 November 1965
- Nobody Loves an Albatross as Marge Weber from 19 December to 20 June 1964
- The 49th CousinThe 49th CousinThe 49th Cousin is a play by Florence Lowe and Caroline Francke. The work premiered on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre on October 26, 1960 and closed after 102 performances on January 21, 1961...
as Tracy Lowe from 27 October 1960 to 21 January 1961 - Tall StoryTall StoryTall Story is a 1960 American sports comedy film directed by Joshua Logan and starring Anthony Perkins and Jane Fonda. Future star Robert Redford made his big-screen debut as a basketball player....
as Myra Solomon from 29 January 1959 to 22 May 1959 - Auntie MameAuntie MameAuntie Mame is a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many...
as Sally Cato MacDougal from 31 October 1956 to 28 June 1958 - The Dark Is Light Enough as Gelda from 23 February 1955 to 23 April 1955
Television
- Lux Video TheatreLux Video TheatreLux Video Theatre, is a weekly television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays....
(1952) - Play of the WeekPlay of the WeekPlay of the Week is an American anthology series of televised stage plays which aired in NTA Film Network syndication from October 12, 1959 to May 1, 1961...
(1960) - The Defenders (1962)
- The Nurses (1963)
- Paradise LostParadise Lost (TV film)Paradise Lost is a drama that takes place in 1932, during the Depression. It was written in 1935 by Clifford Odets and originally performed on stage by the Group Theatre in New York City in 1935, directed by Harold Clurman. A video tape production was first broadcast on American Public Television...
(1974)