WATCH: The Year 2023: In Memoriam
Glynis Johns, the British actress best known for her role as Mrs. Winifred Banks in “Mary Poppins,” has died of natural causes, her publicist said. She was 100.
Johns starred alongside Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in the 1964 Oscar-winning Disney film as women's rights activist Mrs. Banks. She appeared in over 60 films, including “While You Were Sleeping” and “The Sundowners,” which earned her an Oscar nomination.
In his eight-decade career on stage and screen, Johns has also received a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe and a Laurence Olivier Award.
The actress also appeared in several television shows, including “Cheers,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “The Love Boat” and in the 1960s “Batman” series as villain Lady Penelope Peasoup.
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Actress Davd Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Matthew Garber, Karen Dotrice in a scene from the film “Mary Poppins”.
Born on October 5, 1923 in Pretoria, South Africa, Johns began working as an artist at a young age. At the age of 15, she made her film debut in South Riding, a British drama film directed by Victor Saville.
After “South Riding,” she starred in films like “49th Parallel,” “Vacation from Marriage,” and others, as well as the television series “The Frank Sinatra Show,” “Naked City,” and a show called “Glynis,” a show, in which she played a crime writer.
Before taking on the role of Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins, she played Princess Mary Tudor in the 1953 Disney film The Sword and the Rose.
After “Mary Poppins,” Johns starred in Stephen Sondheim’s musical “A Little Night Music” on Broadway. Johns portrayed Desiree Armfeldt and performed the song “Send In the Clowns” in the musical. Her performance earned her a Tony for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical.
“I got applause for that,” Johns told KABC's George Pennachio in an interview marking her 100th anniversary of the role. “I loved it. I felt it.”