Occupation Actress Siblings Mary Muir Wilson Role Actress | Name Elizabeth Wilson Years active 1953–2015 | |
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Full Name Elizabeth Welter Wilson Education American Academy of Dramatic Arts Parents Henry Dunning Wilson, Marie Ethel Wilson Movies The Graduate, The Addams Family, 9 to 5, Hyde Park on Hudson, The Birds Similar People Murray Hamilton, Buck Henry, Mike Nichols, Nancy Marchand, Barry Sonnenfeld | ||
Celebration of Elizabeth Wilson's Life
Elizabeth Wilson Famed Actress From The Graduate Has Died At 94
Elizabeth Welter Wilson (April 4, 1921 – May 9, 2015) was a Tony Award-winning American actress whose career spanned nearly 70 years, including memorable roles in film and television. Wilson was inducted into to the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2006.
Contents
- Celebration of Elizabeth Wilsons Life
- Elizabeth Wilson Famed Actress From The Graduate Has Died At 94
- Early life
- Career
- Death
- Awards and nominations
- Filmography
- References
Early life
Wilson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daughter of Marie Ethel (née Welter) and insurance agent Henry Dunning Wilson. Her maternal grandfather was a wealthy German immigrant, and Wilson was raised in a large mansion. She attended the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, then studied with Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
Career
Wilson was a character actress, appearing in over 30 movies and many Broadway plays. The Los Angeles Times noted: "Tall and elegant, Wilson often played women who had or sought authority."
Wilson made her Broadway debut in Picnic in 1953. Her stage credits include Desk Set (1955), The Good Woman of Szechuan (1970), Sticks and Bones (1972), Uncle Vanya (1973), Threepenny Opera (1976), The Importance of Being Earnest (1977), Morning's at Seven (1980), You Can't Take It with You (1983), Ah, Wilderness! (1988), and A Delicate Balance (1996).
Wilson made her screen debut reprising her stage role in the 1955 film adaptation of Picnic as "Christine Schoenwalder". Additional films include Patterns (1956), The Goddess (1958), The Tunnel of Love (1958), A Child Is Waiting (1963, The Birds (1963), The Graduate (1967), Jenny (1970), Catch-22 (1970) Little Murders (1971), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), 9 to 5 (1980), Grace Quigley (1984), Regarding Henry (1991), The Addams Family (1991), and Quiz Show (1994). Her last film role was as Sara Delano Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012).
Wilson's television credits include early anthology series such as Kraft Television Theatre, The United States Steel Hour, and Armstrong Circle Theatre. She was a regular on the primetime drama East Side/West Side and sitcom Doc and she appeared in Dark Shadows, Another World, All in the Family, Murder, She Wrote, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She also appeared in television movies, including The Boys Next Door (1996). She appeared in the miniseries Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder in March 1987 as the mother of Frances Schreuder (played by Lee Remick), as well as the miniseries Alex Haley's Queen.
Death
On May 9, 2015, aged 94, Wilson died at her home in New Haven, Connecticut.