1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Colleen Dewhurst Biography (1924-1991)

Born June 3, 1924, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; died of cancer, August 22, 1991, in South Salem, NY; married James Vickery (an actor), 1947 (divorced, 1959); married George C. Scott (an actor), 1960 (divorced, 1965); remarried George C. Scott, 1967 (divorced, 1972); partner of Ken Marsolais (a producer); children: (second marriage) Campbell, Alexander.

Nationality

Canadian

Gender

Female

Occupation

actress

Birth Details

June 3, 1924

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Death Details

August 22, 1991

South Salem, New York, United States

Famous Works

• Credits; Stage Appearances
• Julia Cavendish, The Royal Family, Carnegie Lyceum Theatre, New York City, 1946.
• (Broadway debut) A neighbor, Desire under the Elms, American National Theatre Academy (ANTA), New York City, 1952.
• A Turkish concubine and a virgin of Memphis, Tamburlaine the Great, Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1956.
• Tamora, Titus Andronicus, New York Shakespeare Festival (NYSF), East Side Amphitheatre, New York City, 1956.
• Kate, The Taming of the Shrew, Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, New York City, 1956.
• Title role, Camille, Cherry Lane Theatre, New York City, 1956.
• The queen, The Eagle Has Two Heads, Actors Playhouse, New York City, 1956.
• Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Belvedere Lake Theatre, 1957.
• Mrs. Squeamish, The Country Wife, Adelphi Theatre, New York City,1957.
• Laetitia, Children of Darkness, Circle in the Square, New York City, 1958.
• Josie Hogan, A Moon for the Misbegotten (also see below), Festivalof Two Worlds, Spoleto, Italy, 1958, then Studio Arena Theatre, Buffalo, NY,1965.
• Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, NYSF, Heckscher Theatre, New YorkCity, 1959, then Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1963.
• Caesonia, Caligula, 54th Street Theatre, New York City, 1960.
• Mary Follet, All the Way Home, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1960-61.
• Phoebe Flaherty, Great Day in the Morning, Henry Miller's Theatre,New York City, 1962.
• Abbie Putnam, Desire under the Elms, Circle in the Square, 1963.
• Miss Amelia Evans, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1963.
• Regina Giddens, The Little Foxes, Studio Arena Theatre, 1966.
• Sara, More Stately Mansions, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1967-68.
• Hester, Hello and Goodbye, Sheridan Square Playhouse, New York City, 1969.
• Shen Teh, The Good Woman of Setzuan, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, NewYork City, 1970.
• The mistress, All Over, Martin Beck Theatre, 1971.
• Nel Denton, The Big Coca-Cola Swamp in the Sky, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, CT, 1971.
• Christine Mannon, Mourning Becomes Electra, Circle in the Square/Joseph E. Levine Theatre, New York City, 1972.
• Gertrude, Hamlet, NYSF, Delacorte Theatre/Central Park, 1972.
• Josie Hogan, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Morosco Theatre, New YorkCity, 1973-74, then Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, CA,1974-75.
• A Gala Benefit Show, Circle in the Square, 1974.
• Margaret, Artichoke, Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1975-76.
• Martha, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (also see below), Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1976.
• Irene Porter, An Almost Perfect Person, Arlington Park Theatre, Arlington Heights, IL, 1976-77, then Belasco Theatre, 1977-78.
• The Dance of Death, Massachusetts Center Repertory Company, Boston, 1977.
• Lillian Hellman, Are You Now or Have You Ever Been...?, PromenadeTheatre, New York City, 1977, then Century Theatre, New York City, 1978-79.
• Ruth Chandler, Taken in Marriage, Public/Newman Theatre, New YorkCity, 1979.
• Night of 100 Stars, Radio City Music Hall, New York City, 1982.
• Argia, The Queen and the Rebels, Plymouth Theatre, New York City,1982.
• Olga, You Can't Take It With You, Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn,NJ, 1982-83, then Plymouth Theatre, 1983.
• "The Only Woman General," Festival of One-Act Plays, American Place Theatre, New York City, 1984.
• Rainsnakes, Long Wharf Theatre, 1984-85.
• Night of 100 Stars II (also see below), Radio City Music Hall, 1985.
• Arkadina, A Seagull, Eisenhower Theatre, New York City, 1985-86.
• Carlotta Monterey O'Neill, My Gene (one-woman show), Public Theatre/Martinson Hall, New York City, 1987.
• Mary Cavan Tyrone, Long Day's Journey into Night, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1987-88, then Neil Simon Theatre, New York City, 1988.
• Essie Miller, Ah, Wilderness!, Neil Simon Theatre, 1988.
• Melissa Gardner, Love Letters, Edison Theatre, New York City, 1989.
• Toured as Penelope, Maiden Voyage, Philadelphia, PA, 1957; as Martha, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, U.S. cities, summer, 1965; and asEleanor, The Lion in Winter, U.S. cities, summer, 1966. Also appearedin Real Estate, 1986.
• Credits; Stage Work
• Director, Ned and Jack, Hudson Guild Theatre, New York City, thenLittle Theatre, New York City, 1981.
• Credits; Film Appearances
• Archangel, The Nun's Story, Warner Brothers, 1959.
• Helen Benson, Man on a String (also known as Confessions of a Counterspy), Columbia, 1960.
• Dr. Vera Kropotkin, A Fine Madness, Warner Brothers, 1966.
• Monique, The Last Run, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1971.
• Kate, The Cowboys, Warner Brothers, 1972.
• Myra, McQ, Warner Brothers, 1974.
• Mom Hall, Annie Hall, United Artists, 1977.
• Beulah Smith, Ice Castles, Columbia, 1978.
• Kate MacLean, The Third Walker, Simon-Quadrant-Wychwood, 1978.
• Tracy Fuller, When a Stranger Calls, Columbia, 1979.
• Dr. Valentine Ulanova, Final Assignment, Inter Ocean, 1980.
• Gladys Petrelli, Tribute, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1980.
• Henrietta Dodd, The Dead Zone, Paramount, 1983.
• Mrs. Sherman, The Boy Who Could Fly, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1986.
• The judge, Obsessed, New Star, 1988.
• Estelle Whittier, Dying Young (also known as Choice of Love), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991.
• Ruth, Bed and Breakfast, Hemdale Releasing, 1992.
• Appeared as herself, Arthur Miller on Home Ground, 1979; as the voice of La Pasionaria, The Good Fight: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, 1984; and as Molly Dushane, Termini Station, 1989.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Movies
• I, Don Quixote, CBS, 1959.
• Focus, NBC, 1962.
• Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, CBS, 1963.
• In What America?, ABC, 1964.
• The Crucible, CBS, 1967.
• Rebekah, The Story of Jacob and Joseph, ABC, 1974.
• Anna Cramer, And Baby Makes Six, NBC, 1979.
• Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith, NBC, 1979.
• Mrs. O'Neil, Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story, CBS, 1979.
• Anna Kramer, Baby Comes Home, CBS, 1980.
• Meg Larson, A Perfect Match, CBS, 1980.
• Elaine Lipton, Death Penalty, NBC, 1980.
• Lily Levinson, Escape, CBS, 1980.
• Val, The Women's Room, ABC, 1980.
• Myrtle Kennedy, Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, CBS, 1980.
• Cora Jackfield, A Few Days in Weasel Creek, PBS, 1981.
• Lorna Dilman, The Glitter Dome, HBO, 1984.
• Barbara Petherton, Between Two Women, ABC, 1986.
• Hospice worker, As Is, Showtime, 1986.
• Marie Kovacs, Johnny Bull, ABC, 1986.
• Golda Meir, Sword of Gideon, HBO, 1986.
• Margaret Page, Those She Left Behind (also known as Daddy),NBC, 1990.
• Hepzibah, Lantern Hill (also known as Jane of Lantern Hill), Disney, 1990.
• Margaret, Danielle Steel's "Kaleidoscope," NBC, 1990.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Series
• Marilla Cuthbert, Avonlea, Disney, 1990.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Mini-series
• Mary Lonigan, Studs Lonigan, NBC, 1979.
• Maggie Geyser, The Blue and the Gray, CBS, 1982.
• Antonia, A.D., NBC, 1985.
• Marilla, Anne of Avonlea: The Continuing Story of Anne of Green Gables, Disney, 1987.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Specials
• The Night of 100 Stars II, ABC, 1985.
• The Making of Anne of Green Gables, PBS, 1986.
• Narrator, Light of the Gods, PBS, 1988.
• John Wayne Standing Tall, PBS, 1989.
• National Memorial Day Concert, PBS, 1990.
• Voice, The Civil War, PBS, 1990.
• Carnegie Hall at 100: A Place of Dreams, PBS, 1991.
• Also appeared in And Every Man Is Free: A Tribute to Langston Hughes, 1984, and on Antoinette Perry Award ceremonies on CBS, 1986, 1988, and 1990.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Episodic
• Talent Search, NBC, 1960.
• East Side/West Side, CBS, 1964.
• Dr. Kildare, NBC, 1965.
• The Virginian, NBC, 1965.
• Alfred Hitchcock, NBC, 1965.
• Ben Casey, ABC, 1965.
• The F.B.I., ABC, 1966.
• Big Valley, ABC, 1966.
• Esther, "The Price," Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1971.
• Mollie Joyce, "The Hands of Cormac Joyce," Hallmark Hall of Fame,NBC, 1972.
• ABC Theatre, ABC, 1975.
• Marilla, "Anne of Green Gables," WonderWorks, PBS, 1986.
• "Gian Carlo Menotti: The Musical Magician," Great Performances, PBS, 1986.
• Dr. Gladys Samco, "Bigfoot," Disney Sunday Movie, ABC, 1987.
• "Point of Departure," Shortstories, Arts and Entertainment, 1988.
• Avery Brown, "Mama Said," Murphy Brown, CBS, 1989.
• "Helen Hayes: First Lady of the American Theatre," American Masters, PBS, 1991.
• Appeared in "Medea" and "Burning Bright," both Play of the Week, 1959; as Inez, "No Exit," Play of the Week, 1961; in "My Mother's House," Showcase, 1967; and on The DuPont Show of the Week, NBC, andU.S. Steel Hour.

Further Reference

Periodicals

• New York Times, February 17, 1974; January 25, 1987.
• Variety, August 26, 1991, p. 98.