Mimi Weddell

Marion Rogers "Mimi' Weddell (February 15, 1915 – September 24, 2009) was an American actress. She is best known for portraying Stanford's grandmother on Sex and the City and for being featured in a documentary film, Hats Off, about her life and her collection of some 150 hats.

Early life She was born as Marion Rogers in Williston, North Dakota on February 15, 1915, and grew up in Massachusetts.

She first appeared in the 1980 low-budget horror film Dracula's Last Rites in the role of Mrs. Bradley and followed that in the subsequent year as Miss Mumsley in 1981's Student Bodies, a parody of the horror genre. In 1985, she appeared in Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, where she stood in line with Mia Farrow to purchase a ticket to the film within the film. She appeared in two episodes of the police procedural / legal drama Law & Order, in the 1990 episode Subterranean Homeboy Blues and in 1997's Past Imperfect. Weddell played the role of a snoring woman in the wedding scene in the 1986 movie Heartburn by Nora Ephron, and in the 2005 film Hitch, starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes, Weddell played the role of Grandma Wellington, who pretended to choke on an olive at dinner. She was in a single episode of Sex and the City, appearing in the 1998 episode The Turtle and the Hare as Stanford Blatch's grandmother.

Weddell had been featured in ads for numerous top fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton. She is also known for her extensive and expensive hat collection.

Hats Off The 2008 documentary film Hats Off tells Weddell's life story, following her around as she visits beauty salons, strolls around the city and her litany of auditions, exercise sessions and dance lessons. The film was produced by Michael Arlen Davis together with Directors Guild of America Award-nominated director Jyll Johnstone, a friend of Weddell's daughter, who followed Weddell for most of a decade and interviewed other actors, casting directors and family members to shine a light on her life. The film was screened at the Telluride Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as well as on Sveriges Television in Sweden.

Reviewer Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times said the film showed Weddell as a unique "individual", an actress in her 90s who still demonstrated a "willingness to work 14-hour days and fight for roles", building a substantial resume despite the "industry's rampant ageism".

Death Mimi Weddell died at age 94 in her Manhattan home after a short illness on September 24, 2009.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1980 Last Rites Mrs. Bradley 1981 Student Bodies Miss Mumsley 1985 The Purple Rose of Cairo Ticket Buyer 1987 Anna Agent's Secretary 1994 Go Fish Mimi 1999 The Thomas Crown Affair National Art Club Guest 2003 Marci X Woman at Auction 2004 Messengers Ruth White 2005 Hitch Grandma Wellington 2005 A Perfect Fit Mrs. Kinsley (final film role)2007 Across the Universe Television Year Title Role Notes1990-1997 Law & Order Mrs. Sandinsky / Baglady 2 episodes1998 Sex and the City Stanford's Grandmother 1 episode