Anne Bancroft

Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Cannes Film Festival Award. She is one of 24 thespians to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.

Associated with the method acting technique, having studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Bancroft made her film debut in the noir thriller Don't Bother to Knock in 1952, and appeared in 14 other films over the following five years. In 1958, she made her Broadway debut with the play Two for the Seesaw, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The next year she portrayed Anne Sullivan in the original Broadway production of The Miracle Worker, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. After her continued success on stage, Bancroft's film career was revived when she was cast in the acclaimed film adaptation of The Miracle Worker (1962) for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her film career progressed with Oscar nominated performances in The Pumpkin Eater (1964), The Graduate (1967), The Turning Point (1977), and Agnes of God (1985).

Bancroft continued to act in the later half of her life, with prominent roles including Mary Magdalene in Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), To Be or Not to Be (1983), Garbo Talks (1984), 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), Torch Song Trilogy (1988), Home for the Holidays (1995), G.I. Jane (1997), Great Expectations (1998), and Up at the Villa (2000). She had received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including for the television films Broadway Bound (1992), Deep in My Heart (1999), for which she won, and The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003). She died in 2005, at the age of 73, as a result of uterine cancer. She was married to director, actor, and writer Mel Brooks, with whom she had a son, author Max Brooks.

Early life and education Bancroft was born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano on September 17, 1931, in the Bronx, New York, the middle of three daughters of Mildred Carmela (; 1907–2010), a telephone operator, and Michael Gregory Italiano (1905–2001), a dress pattern maker. Her parents were children of Italian immigrants from Muro Lucano, Basilicata. She grew up Roman Catholic.

Bancroft was raised in Little Italy, in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, attended P.S. 12, later moving to 1580 Zerega Ave. and graduating from Christopher Columbus High School in 1948. She then attended HB Studio, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts,

Career

1952–1962: Initial work and breakthrough Bancroft made her screen debut with a major role in the 1952 Marilyn Monroe-led psychological thriller Don't Bother to Knock. She appeared in 14 films over the next five years, 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).

After three weeks of location work on The Last Hunt (1955), a horse got out of control causing Bancroft to land hard on the horn of her saddle. Due to hospitalization she was replaced as the Native American girl by Debra Paget; although some of her long-distance shots were retained in finished film.

In 1957, Bancroft was directed by Jacques Tourneur in a David Goodis adaptation, Nightfall. In 1958, she made her Broadway debut as lovelorn, Bronx-accented Gittel Mosca opposite Henry Fonda (as the married man Gittel loves) in William Gibson's two-character play Two for the Seesaw, directed by Arthur Penn. For the role, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She reprised her role in the 1962 film and won the Academy Award for Best Actress, with Patty Duke repeating her own success as Keller alongside Bancroft. As Bancroft had returned to Broadway to star in Mother Courage and Her Children, Joan Crawford accepted the Oscar on her behalf and later presented the award to her in New York.

1963–1985: Success, decline and comeback Bancroft co-starred as a medieval nun obsessed with a priest (Jason Robards) in the 1965 Broadway production of John Whiting's play The Devils. Produced by Alexander H. Cohen and directed by Michael Cacoyannis, it ran for 63 performances.

Bancroft received a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Pumpkin Eater (1964). Bancroft achieved stardom when she played the starring role as Mrs. Robinson in the romantic comedy-drama The Graduate (1967). In the film, she played an unhappily married woman who seduces the son of her husband's business partner, the much younger recent college graduate played by Dustin Hoffman.

Bancroft is one of ten actors to have won both an Academy Award and a Tony Award for the same role (as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker), and one of very few entertainers to win an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony award. This rare achievement is also known as the Triple Crown of Acting. She followed that success with a second television special, Annie and the Hoods (1974), which was telecast on ABC and featured her husband Mel Brooks as a guest star. She made an uncredited cameo in the film Blazing Saddles (1974), directed by Brooks. She made a career comeback with the ballet drama The Turning Point (1977), followed by the neo-noir mystery film Agnes of God (1985), which earned her two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Bancroft made her debut as a screenwriter and director in Fatso (1980), in which she starred with Dom DeLuise.

Bancroft was the original choice to play Joan Crawford in the film Mommie Dearest (1981), but backed out and was replaced by Faye Dunaway. She was also a front-runner for the role of Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment (1983), but declined so that she could act in the remake of To Be or Not to Be (1983) with Brooks. In 1988, she played Harvey Fierstein's mother in the film version of his play Torch Song Trilogy.

1986–2005: Final film and television roles During the 1990s and early 2000s, Bancroft took supporting roles in a number of films in which she co-starred with major film stars, including 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 lent her voice to the animated film Antz (1998).

Bancroft also starred in several television movies and miniseries, receiving six Emmy Award nominations (winning once for herself and shared for Annie, The Women in the Life of a Man), eight Golden Globe nominations (winning twice) and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Her last appearance was as herself in a 2004 episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She was cast in Spanglish (2004) later in the year, but had to bow out due to a medical emergency. Her last project was the animated feature film Delgo, released posthumously in 2008. The film was dedicated to her.

Bancroft received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6368 Hollywood Boulevard for her work in television. At the time of her star's installation in 1960, she had recently appeared in several TV series. She was also a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1992.

Personal life

Bancroft's first husband was lawyer Martin May, of Lubbock, Texas. They married on July 1, 1953, separated in November 1955, and divorced on February 13, 1957. She had previously been engaged to actor John Ericson in 1951. Lee Marvin's ex-wife Betty claimed in her 2010 book Tales of a Hollywood Housewife that Marvin had an affair with Bancroft when they co-starred in Gorilla at Large (1954) and A Life in the Balance (1955).

In 1961, Bancroft met Mel Brooks at a rehearsal for Perry Como's variety show Kraft Music Hall. Bancroft and Brooks married on August 5, 1964, at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau near New York City Hall, and remained married until her death in 2005. Their son, Max Brooks, was born in 1972. Bancroft worked with her husband three times on the screen: dancing a tango in Brooks's Silent Movie (1976), in his remake of To Be or Not to Be (1983) Bancroft's son, Max, said in a 2020 interview that she was "a secret, closet scientist". He said that, as a child, she read to him Paul de Kruif's Microbe Hunters (1926) as a bedtime story.

In 2005, shortly before her death, Bancroft became a grandmother when her daughter-in-law Michelle had a boy, Henry Michael Brooks.

Early in her career, Bancroft battled depression and drank frequently, which resulted in her being absent from work, according to Elizabeth Wilson, who was Bancroft's understudy in The Little Foxes. She also worked with Bancroft in The Graduate (1967) and The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975).

Death Bancroft died of uterine cancer at age 73 on June 6, 2005, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Her death surprised many, including some of her friends, as the intensely private Bancroft had not disclosed any details of her illness. Her body was interred at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, near her father; her mother would die five years after Bancroft in April 2010 at the age of 102 and be buried with her family. Her final film, Delgo, was dedicated to her memory.

Acting credits Film Year Title Role Notes 1952 Don't Bother to Knock Lyn Lesley Film debut (singing voice provided by Eve Marley) 1953 Tonight We Sing Emma Hurok Treasure of the Golden Condor Marie, Comtesse de St. Malo The Kid from Left Field Marian Foley 1954 Gorilla at Large Laverne Miller Demetrius and the Gladiators Paula Katy Bishop 1955 New York Confidential Katherine "Kathy" Lupo A Life in the Balance María Ibinia The Naked Street Rosalie Regalzyk Corinna Marston 1956 Walk the Proud Land Tianay Nightfall Marie Gardner 1957 Angelita Beth Dixon 1962 Anne Sullivan Academy Award for Best Actress 1964 Jo Armitage Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress 1965 Inga Dyson 1966 7 Women Dr. D.R. Cartwright 1967 Mrs. Robinson 1972 Young Winston Lady Randolph Churchill 1974 Blazing Saddles Woman in Church Congregation Uncredited extra 1975 Edna Edison Ursula von Reugen Urban Living: Funny and Formidable Herself Short film 1976 Lipstick Carla Bondi Silent Movie Herself The August Short film; also writer and editor 1977 Emma Jacklin 1980 Fatso Antoinette Also director and writer Madge Kendal 1983 To Be or Not to Be Anna Bronski 1984 Garbo Talks Estelle Rolfe 1985 Agnes of God Mother Miriam Ruth / Anna Maria Burchetti 1986 Thelma Cates 1987 84 Charing Cross Road Helene Hanff 1988 Torch Song Trilogy Ma Beckoff 1989 Bert Rigby, You're a Fool Meredith Perlestein 1992 Honeymoon in Vegas Bea Singer Love Potion No. 9 Madame Ruth 1993 Point of No Return Amanda Malice Mrs. Kennsinger Mr. Jones Dr. Catherine Holland 1995 How to Make an American Quilt Older Glady Joe Cleary Home for the Holidays Adele Larson Dracula: Dead and Loving It Madame Ouspenskaya / Gypsy Woman 1996 The Sunchaser Dr. Renata Baumbauer 1997 G.I. Jane Senator Lillian DeHaven Critical Care Nun 1998 Great Expectations Mrs. Dinsmoor Mark Twain's America in 3D Narrator Documentary film Antz Queen Ant Voice role 2000 Up at the Villa Princess San Ferdinando Keeping the Faith Ruth Schram 2001 Heartbreakers Gloria Vogal / Barbara In Search of Peace Golda Meir Voice role; documentary film 2008 Delgo Empress Sedessa Voice role; posthumous release

Television As an actress Year Title Role Notes 1950–1951 Studio One in Hollywood Various roles Recurring role; 4 episodes 1951 Suspense Actress Episodes: "Night Break" and "A Vision of Death" The Ford Theatre Hour Episode: "The Golden Mouth" The Adventures of Ellery Queen Episode: "The Chinese Mummer Mystery" Danger Gangster's Moll / Heidi Episodes: "The Killer Scarf" and "Murderer's Face" The Web Actress Episode: "The Customs of the Country" Lights Out Helen Drome Episode: "The Deal" The Goldbergs Joyce Recurring role; 3 episodes 1953 Omnibus Paco's Sister Episode: "The Capital of the World" Kraft Television Theatre Actress Episode: "To Live in Peace" 1954–1957 Lux Video Theatre Various roles 5 episodes 1956–1957 Climax! Audrey / Elena Episodes: "Fear Is the Hunter" and "The Mad Bomber" 1957 Playhouse 90 Isobel Waring / Julie Bickford Episodes: "So Soon to Die" and "Invitation to a Gunfighter" Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Isabelle Rutledge Episode: "Episode in Darkness" The Alcoa Hour Alegre / Giselle Episodes: "Key Largo" and "Hostages to Fortune" 1958 The Frank Sinatra Show Carol Welles Episode: "A Time to Cry" 1964 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Faye Benet Garret Episode: "Out on the Outskirts of Town" 1967 ABC Stage 67 Virginia Episode: "I'm Getting Married" 1970 Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man Various Characters Television special 1977 Jesus of Nazareth Mary Magdalene Miniseries; 3 episodes 1980 Shōgun Narrator Miniseries; US version 1982 Marco Polo Marco's Mother Episode: "1.1" 1990 Freddie and Max Maxine "Max" Chandler Main role; 6 episodes 1992 Broadway Bound Kate Jerome Television film Mrs. Cage Lillian Cage 1994 Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All Lucy Marsden (age 99–100) Great Performances Mrs. Fanning Episode: "Paddy Chayefsky's 'The Mother Dr. Zweig Voice role; Episode: "Fear of Flying" 1996 Homecoming Abigail Tillerman Television film 1999 Deep in My Heart Geraldine "Gerry" Eileen Cummins 2001 Haven Mama Gruber 2003 Contessa

As herself

Year Title Role Notes 1960 Person to Person Herself Episode: "7.35" Gala Adlai on Broadway Herself / Performer Television film 1962 Password All-Stars Herself Episode: "Anne Bancroft vs. Robert Goulet" 1962–1964 What's My Line? Herself / Mystery Guest 3 episodes 1969 The Kraft Music Hall Herself Episode: "2.23" 1970 Arthur Penn, 1922–: Themes and Variants Television documentary film This Is Tom Jones Episode: "3.1" 1974 Annie and the Hoods Herself / Host Television film 1978 The Stars Salute Israel at 30 Herself Lørdagshjørnet Episode: "Mel Brooks" The Wonderful World of Disney Episode: "Mickey's 50" 1979 The Muppets Go Hollywood Television special 1982 Bob Hope's Women I Love: Beautiful, But Funny 1983 An Audience with Mel Brooks 1998 The Secret World of Antz Television documentary film Living with Cancer: A Message of Hope Narrator 2000 The Rosie O'Donnell Show Herself Episode: "5 May 2000" The Living Edens Narrator Episode: "Anamalai: India's Elephant Mountain" 2001 Exhale with Candice Bergen Herself Episode: "16 November 2001" 2004 Curb Your Enthusiasm Episode: "Opening Night"

Theater Year Title Role Venue Notes 1958–1959 Two for the Seesaw Gittel Mosca Booth Theatre January 16, 1958 – June 27, 1959 1959–1961 Annie Sullivan Playhouse Theatre October 19, 1959 – February 5, 1961 1963 Mother Courage and Her Children Mother Courage Martin Beck Theatre March 25, 1963 – May 11, 1963 1965–1966 Sister Jean of the Angels Broadway Theatre November 3, 1965 – January 22, 1966 1967–1968 Regina Giddens Ethel Barrymore Theatre October 20, 1967 – January 20, 1968 1968–1969 Anne Vivian Beaumont Theatre November 14, 1968 – February 15, 1969 1977–1978 Golda Golda Meir Morosco Theatre November 2, 1977 – February 15, 1978 1981–1982 Duet for One Stephanie Abrahams Royale Theatre December 7, 1981 – January 2, 1982 2002 Occupant Louise Nevelson Peter Norton Space Off-Broadway

Awards and nominations