Blythe Danner Biography (1944?-)

Full name, Blythe Katharine Danner; born February 3, 1944 (some sources cite1943), in Philadelphia, PA; daughter of Harry Earl (a bank executive) and Katharine Danner; married Bruce W. Paltrow (a writer and producer), December 14,1969 (died October 3, 2002); children: Gwyneth Kate (an actress), Jake (a director), Laura. Addresses: Agent: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA, 90212.

Nationality
American
Gender
Female
Occupation
Actress
Birth Details
February 3, 1944?
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Famous Works

  • CREDITS
  • Stage Appearances
  • Laura, The Glass Menagerie, Theatre Company of Boston, Boston, MA,1965
  • The Service of Joseph Axminster, Theatre Company of Boston, 1965-66
  • The Way Out of the Way In, Theatre Company of Boston, 1965-66
  • The Knack, Theatre Company of Boston, 1965-66
  • Girl, The Infantry (revue), Eighty-First Street Theatre, New YorkCity, 1966
  • Helena, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Trinity Square Playhouse, Providence, RI, 1967
  • Irina, Three Sisters, Trinity Square Playhouse, 1967
  • Michele, Mata Hari (musical), National Theatre, Washington, DC, 1967
  • Girl, Summertree, Lincoln Center Repertory Company, Forum Theatre(now Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre), New York City, 1968
  • Sister Marthe, Cyrano de Bergerac, Lincoln Center Repertory Company, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1968
  • Violet Bean, Up Eden, Jan Hus Theatre, New York City, 1968
  • Standby for Mag, "Winners" (double-bill with "Losers"), Lovers, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, and Music Box Theatre, New York City,both 1968
  • Connie Odum, Someone's Comin' Hungry, Pocket Theatre, New York City, 1969
  • Elsie, The Miser, Lincoln Center Repertory Company, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1969
  • Jill Tanner, Butterflies Are Free, Booth Theatre, New York City, beginning 1969, later produced elsewhere
  • Title role, Major Barbara, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1971
  • Viola, Twelfth Night; or, What You Will, Vivian Beaumont Theatre,Lincoln Center, 1972
  • Nina, The Seagull, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA, 1974
  • Isabel, Ring Around the Moon, Williamstown Theatre Festival, 1975
  • Cynthia Karslake, The New York Idea, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY, 1977
  • Lisa, Children of the Sun, Williamstown Theatre Festival, 1979
  • Emma, Betrayal, Trafalgar Theatre, New York City, 1980
  • Tracy Samantha Lord, The Philadelphia Story, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1980-81
  • Elvira, Blithe Spirit: An Improbable Farce, Morris Mechanic Theatre, Baltimore, MD, then Neil Simon Theatre, New York City, 1987
  • Blanche DuBois, A Streetcar Named Desire, Circle in the Square, New York City, 1988
  • Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1988
  • Melissa Gardner, Love Letters, Promenade Theatre, New York City, 1989
  • Picnic, Williamstown Theatre Festival, 1991
  • Arkadina, The Seagull, Williamstown Theatre Festival, 1994
  • Kate, Sylvia, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I, New York City, 1995
  • Bel, Moonlight, Roundabout Theatre Company, Laura Pels Theatre, Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, New York City, 1995-96
  • Hester Collyer, The Deep Blue Sea, Roundabout Theatre Company, Criterion Center Stage Right Theatre, New York City, 1998
  • Jane, Ancestral Voices (staged reading), Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, 1999
  • Tonight, Williamstown Theatre Festival, 2000
  • Phyllis Rogers Stone, Follies (musical), Roundabout Theatre Company, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 2001
  • "Little Murders" (staged reading), Voices!, City Center Theatre, New York City, 2001
  • Mrs. Mullin, Carousel (concert performance), Carnegie Hall, New York City, 2002
  • Karen Richards, All About Eve (benefit reading), Actors' Fund of America, Ahmanson Music Center of Los Angeles County, CA, 2003
  • The Chekhov Cycle, Nikos Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, 2002
  • Also appeared in Collision Course; performed annually at Williamstown Theatre Festival for many years.
  • Film Appearances
  • Lily Frischer, To Kill a Clown, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1972
  • Martha Wales Skelton Jefferson, 1776, Columbia, 1972
  • Molly Taylor, Lovin' Molly, Columbia, 1974
  • Miss Trout, Hearts of the West (also known as Hollywood Cowboy), United Artists, 1975
  • Tracy Ballard, Futureworld, American International Pictures, 1976
  • Lillian Meechum, The Great Santini (also known as The Ace and The Gift of Fury), Warner Bros., 1980
  • Sheila Beckwith, Man, Woman, and Child, Paramount, 1983
  • Interviewee, Starring ... the Actors, American Film Institute, 1984
  • Kate, Brighton Beach Memoirs (also known as Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs"), Universal, 1986
  • Narrator, One Art, 1987
  • Lydia, Another Woman, Orion, 1988
  • Grace Barron, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Miramax, 1990
  • Dorothy, Alice, Orion, 1990
  • Sallie Wingo, The Prince of Tides, Columbia, 1991
  • Rain's mother, Husbands and Wives, TriStar, 1992
  • Beatrice, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, Universal, 1995
  • Katherine Samuel, Homage, Arrow Releasing, 1996
  • Lena, The Myth of Fingerprints, Sony Pictures Classics, 1997
  • Mrs. Banks, Mad City, Warner Bros., 1997
  • Voice of Mother Dingo, Napoleon, Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1997
  • Syril Danning, The Proposition (also known as Shakespeare's Sister and Tempting Fate), PolyGram, 1998
  • Claudia's mother, No Looking Back (also known as Long Time, Nothing New), Gramercy, 1998
  • Jana Cassidy, The X Files (also known as Blackwood, Fight the Future, X-Files: Blackwood, The X Files: Fight the Future, X-Files: The Movie, and Aux frontieres du reel), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1998
  • Virginia, Force of Nature, DreamWorks, 1999
  • Mrs. Bradford, Cosas que olvide recordar (also known as ThingsI Forgot to Remember), Sogepaq Distribucion/Warner Sogefilms, 1999
  • Lillian MacFarquhuar, The Love Letter, DreamWorks, 1999
  • Dina Byrnes, Meet the Parents, Universal, 2000
  • Gail O'Connor, Invisible Circus, Fine Line, 2000
  • Beverly, 3 Days of Rain, Maximone Pictures, 2002
  • Mary, The Quality of Light (also known as To What Sweet End), Karalex Pictures, 2003
  • Aurelia Plath, Sylvia, Focus Features, 2003
  • Dina Byrnes, Meet the Fockers, Universal, 2004
  • Voice of Madam Suliman for English version, Hauro no ugoku shiro (animated; also known as Howl's Moving Castle), Buena Vista, 2005
  • Isabella Stewart Gardner, Stolen (documentary), Precision Films, 2005
  • Grandma, Walk Two Moons, 2005
  • Television Appearances
  • Series
  • Amanda Bonner, Adam's Rib, ABC, 1973
  • Hillary Tattinger, Tattinger's (also known as Nick & Hillary), NBC, 1988-89
  • Marilyn Truman, a recurring role, Will & Grace, NBC, beginning2001
  • Dr. Harriet Lanning, Presidio Med, CBS, 2002
  • Isabelle "Izzy" Huffstodt, Huff, Showtime, 2004
  • Movies
  • Jane "Janey" Rausch, Dr. Cook's Garden, ABC, 1971
  • Janice Benedict, Columbo: Etude in Black, NBC, 1972
  • Zelda Fitzgerald, F. Scott Fitzgerald and "The Last of the Belles," ABC, 1974
  • Eleanor Gehrig, A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story, NBC, 1978
  • Anne Osborne, Are You in the House Alone?, CBS, 1978
  • Joan Barlow Maple, "Too Far to Go," NBC Theatre, NBC, 1979
  • Eileen Wilcox, In Defense of Kids, CBS, 1983
  • Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues, syndicated, 1984
  • Louise Jamison, Guilty Conscience, CBS, 1985
  • Jeannie, Money, Power, Murder (also known as Dead Air), CBS, 1989
  • Emmeline Guitry, Judgment (also known as Sacraments and Vermillion Parish), HBO, 1990
  • Jane Mermelstein, Never Forget (also known as The Promise),TNT, 1991
  • Lily Montgomery, Getting Up and Going Home (also known as Unfaithful), Lifetime, 1992
  • Eliza Mercer, Leave of Absence, NBC, 1994
  • Paula Tobias, A Call to Remember, Encore and Starz!, 1997
  • Bee Bedloe, "Saint Maybe" (also known as "Anne Tyler's `Saint Maybe'"), Hallmark Hall of Fame, CBS, 1998
  • Voice of Mrs. Murphy, Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery (also known as Murder, She Purred), ABC, 1998
  • Irma Miller, The Farmhouse (also known as Eye of the Storm), Sundance Channel, 1999
  • Corinne, We Were the Mulvaneys, Lifetime, 2002
  • Rebecca Holmes Davitch, "Back When We Were Grownups," Hallmark Hall ofFame, CBS, 2004
  • Miniseries
  • Margarete Speer, Inside the Third Reich, ABC, 1982
  • Bonnie Von Stein, Cruel Doubt, NBC, 1992
  • Voice of Elizabeth Todd Edwards, Lincoln, ABC, 1992
  • Bianca Honicut, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, CBS, 1994
  • The West, PBS, 1996-97
  • Narrator, "Galileo Was Right," From the Earth to the Moon, HBO, 1998
  • Specials
  • Agnes Nolan Cohan, George M!, NBC, 1970
  • Alma Winemiller, "Eccentricities of a Nightingale," N.E.T. Playhouse, PBS, 1970
  • "To Confuse an Angel," Prudential's On Stage, CBS, 1970
  • "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," N.E.T. Playhouse, PBS, 1972
  • "Invitation to a March," Hollywood Television Theatre, PBS, 1972
  • Rachel, "The Scarecrow," Hollywood Television Theatre, PBS, 1972
  • Nina, "The Sea Gull" (also known as "The Seagull"), Theatre in America, PBS, 1975
  • Cohost, That Was the Year that Was, NBC, 1976
  • Elisabeth Custer, "The Court-Martial of General George Armstrong Custer,"Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1977
  • Alice Sycamore, You Can't Take It with You, CBS, 1979
  • Anna Christie, "Eugene O'Neill: A Glory of Ghosts," American Masters, PBS, 1985
  • "Clara Hale," An American Portrait, CBS, 1986
  • Blanche DuBois, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1988
  • Jane, "Kiss-Kiss Dahlings!," Great Performances' Twentieth AnniversarySpecial, PBS, 1992
  • Narrator, Barenboim Conducts Strauss, 1993
  • Ellen Levine, "The Rosenthal Affair," Tracy Ullman Takes on New York, HBO, 1993
  • Voice of Edna St. Vincent Millay, A Century of Women (also known as A Family of Women), TBS, 1994
  • Narrator, Linda Leisure and H.O.M.E., 1994
  • Voice of Martha Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson, PBS, 1997
  • Host, Sophisticated Ladies: Charleston and Savannah with Blythe Danner, PBS, 1998
  • Narrator, Intimate Portrait: Mia Farrow, Lifetime, 1999
  • Host, Population: Six Billion, PBS, 1999
  • Narrator, Healthcare Crisis: Who's at Risk?, PBS, 2000
  • Voice, Mark Twain, PBS, 2001
  • Voice, Echoes from the White House, PBS, 2001
  • Interviewee, Intimate Portrait: Cynthia Nixon, Lifetime, 2002
  • AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Robert De Niro, USA Network, 2003
  • Interviewee, Intimate Portrait: Dana Delany, Lifetime, 2003
  • "Huff:" Around the Edges, Showtime, 2004
  • Appeared as Agnes Nolan in a presentation of The Bell Telephone Hour.
  • Episodic
  • "Day Tripper," N.Y.P.D., ABC, 1968
  • Carly Breslin Walton, "The More I See You," M*A*S*H, CBS, 1976
  • Star, "You're a Poet and Don't Know It! ... The Poetry Power Hour," The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People, CBS, 1976
  • Guest host, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's "SaturdayNight," Saturday Night, and SNL), NBC, 1982
  • Paige Gerradeaux, "The Women," St. Elsewhere, NBC, 1984
  • Margaret, "Maniac at Large," Tales from the Crypt, HBO, 1992
  • Mad TV, Fox, 2000
  • Guest, Coming Attractions, 2004
  • Guest, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS, 2005
  • Pilots
  • Prudy Jenkins, Sidekicks, CBS, 1974
  • Evelyn Harper, Two and a Half Men, 2003
  • Izzy, !Huff, Showtime, 2004
  • Awards Presentations
  • Presenter, The 53rd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1981
  • The 71st Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1999
  • 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 2000
  • The First Ten Awards: Tony 2001, PBS, 2001
  • The 56th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 2002
  • Presenter, The 29th Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 2003
  • The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2005
  • RECORDINGS
  • Taped Readings
  • Reader, Baby, 1994
  • Reader, The Robber Bride, 1995
  • Reader (with others), Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, HarperAudio, 2001

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

    Periodicals
    • American Film, June, 1991, p. 24
    • Booklist, May 15, 1994, p. 1701; January 15, 1995, p. 946
    • Entertainment Weekly, August 2, 1996, p. 12
    • Life, May 1, 1999, p. 60
    • Nation, December 11, 1995, pp. 762-763
    • New York Times, May 15, 1981
    • New York Times, August 3, 1994
    • Premiere, December, 1991, p. 53
    • TV Guide, August 24, 2002, p. 6; October 25, 2003, p. 12