Dame Judith Anderson was born Frances Margaret Anderson on February 10, 1897 in Adelaide, South Australia. She began her acting career in Australia before moving to New York in 1918. There she established herself as one of the greatest theatrical actresses and was a major star on Broadway throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Her notable stage works included the role of Lady Macbeth, which she played first in the 1920s, and gave an Emmy Award-winning television performance in _Macbeth as the High Priestess, and was nominated for a Saturn Award for that role. She was awarded Companion of the Order of Australia in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to the performing arts. Anderson died at age 94 of pneumonia on January 3, 1992 in Santa Barbara, California.
She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1960 Queens New Years Honours List for her services to the performing arts.
Received the Womens International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1986.
Made her soap opera debut in 1984 as the grande dame, Minx Lockridge, on "Santa Barbara" (which happens to be her hometown).
Won the 1948 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Play for her performance as "Medea". In 1959, she reprised the role on television, and in a 1983 telecast of the play, she played the supporting role of the Nurse.
It is said that conductor Arturo Toscanini was so carried away by her performance in the title role of "Medea" on Broadway that he nearly fell out of his stage box applauding.
Won Broadways 1948 Tony Award as best actress - dramatic for playing the title role in "Medea" -- an award shared with Katharine Cornell for "Antony and Cleopatra", and Jessica Tandy for "A Streetcar Named Desire". In 1959, she repeated the same role on television. In 1982, she received a Tony nomination as best actress - featured role - play for playing the supporting role of the Nurse in "Medea", repeating that performance in a 1983 telecast of the play.
The first and perhaps the only actress to win two Emmy Awards for playing the same role (Lady Macbeth) in two separate television productions of the same play, the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of William Shakespeare s "Macbeth" on Macbeth and Macbeth (1960/III) , with the same leading actor, Maurice Evans.
She was awarded the AC (Companion of the Order of Australia) in the Queens Birthday Honours List on June 10, 1991 for her services to the performing arts.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 3, 1991-1993, pages 17-19. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 2001.
She was 87 years old when she appeared as the High Priestess in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . She had come out of retirement after being away from motion pictures for 14 years. She was encouraged by her nephew to take the role and received a Saturn Award nomination for that role.
She was friends with poet Robinson Jeffers , who wrote "Medea" which she starred in, and was a frequent visitor to his home Tor House in Carmel, California.
Attended and graduated from Norwood Morialta High School in Adelaide, South Australia.
Biography in "Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywood Faces from the Thirties to the Fifties" by Axel Nissen.
Mother, with Frank Falco, of daughter Edie Falco.
I have not myself a very serene temperament.
All of my work is based on nature. I grew up in a rural environment and,living in the Bay Area allows for immediate access to wonderful natural,environs. Basically, nature is my genius loci, or the place where my,spirit resides.
I am inspired by many mediums and use them to express varied aspects of,my philosophies and life observations.
Personally, I believe it is important for mankind to respect nature -,for homeostasis - and I have volunteered with environmental,organizations, I do not attempt to have an environmental leaning,regarding my artwork.
