Mary Poppins Actress Glynis Johns Dead at 100

Mary Poppins actress Glynis Johns died on Jan. 4 at age 100 following a decades-long career in Hollywood.

By Lindsay Weinberg Jan 04, 2024 11:29 PMTags
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Hollywood is mourning the loss of a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious actress.

Glynis Johns—who played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppinsdied of natural causes at a Los Angeles assisted living home on Jan. 4, her manager Mitch Clem told NBC News. She was 100. 

"Today's a sad day for Hollywood," Clem told the outlet. "She is the last of the last of old Hollywood."

Before appearing in the beloved 1964 Disney movie, Johns was widely recognized for her work in the 1960 film The Sundowners, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and the 1962 movie The Chapman Report, which earned her a Golden Globe nod for Best Actress in a Drama. 

While she's also known for her film roles in The Court Jester (1955), The Ref (1994) and While You Were Sleeping (1995), Johns additionally had a strong stage presence and starred in numerous theater productions.

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The British star was part of the original cast of the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, for which Stephen Sondheim composed the song "Send in the Clowns" specifically for her voice. 

"I've had other songs written for me, but nothing like that," Johns told the Associated Press in 1990, per NBC. "It's the greatest gift I've ever been given in the theater."

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She ultimately the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Desiree Armfeldt.

"That's better than nothing, isn't it?" the singer quipped to ABC last year in honor of her 100th birthday. "I got applause for that [performance]. I loved doing it. I felt it."

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Johns was married four times: to actor Anthony Forwood from 1942 to 1948; pilot David Foster from 1952 to 1956; businessman Cecil Henderson from 1960 to 1962 and writer Elliott Arnold from 1964 to 1980.

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