Teresa Wright
Dutch postcard, 1947.
American actress Teresa Wright (1918-2005) was nominated twice for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress: in 1941 for her debut work in The Little Foxes, and in 1942 for Mrs. Miniver, winning for the latter. That same year, she received a nomination for the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in The Pride of the Yankees (1942), opposite Gary Cooper. She is also known for her performances in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
Muriel Teresa Wright was born in 1918, in Harlem, New York City. She was the daughter of Martha (née Espy) and Arthur Hendricksen Wright, an insurance agent. Her parents separated when she was young. She grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, where she attended Columbia High School. After seeing Helen Hayes star in 'Victoria Regina' at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City in 1936, Wright took an interest in acting and began playing leading roles in school plays. She earned a scholarship to the Wharf Theater in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she was an apprentice for two summers. Following her high school graduation in 1938, she went to New York, shortened her name to Teresa Wright, and was hired as understudy to Dorothy McGuire and Martha Scott for the role of Emily in Thornton Wilder's stage production of 'Our Town' at Henry Miller's Theatre. She took over the role when Scott left for Hollywood to film the on-screen version of the play. In autumn 1939, Wright began a two-year appearance in the stage play 'Life with Father', playing the role of Mary Skinner. It was there that she was discovered by Samuel Goldwyn, who came to see her in the show she had been appearing in for almost a year. Goldwyn immediately hired the young actress for the role of Bette Davis' daughter in the adaptation of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes (William Wyler, 1941), signing her to a five-year Hollywood contract with the Goldwyn Studios.
In 1941, Teresa Wright was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film début in The Little Foxes. The following year, she was nominated again, this time for Best Actress for The Pride of the Yankees (Sam Wood, 1943), in which she played opposite Gary Cooper as the wife of Lou Gehrig. That same year, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as the daughter-in-law of Greer Garson's character in the American romantic war drama Mrs. Miniver (William Wyler, 1942). Wright is the first out of only nine players who have been nominated in both categories in the same year. Her three Academy Award nominations and one Academy Award in her first three films are unique. She remains the only performer to have received Oscar nominations for her first three films. In 1943, Wright appeared in the acclaimed Universal film Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1943), playing an innocent young woman who discovers her beloved uncle (Joseph Cotten) is a serial murderer. Hitchcock thought Wright was one of the most intelligent actors he had worked with, and through his direction brought out her vivacity, warmth, and youthful idealism—characteristics uncommon in Hitchcock's heroines. In 1946, Wright delivered another notable performance in The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946), an award-winning film about the adjustments of servicemen returning home after World War II. Four years later, she would appear in another story of war veterans, Fred The Men (Fred Zinnemann, 1950), which starred Marlon Brando in his film début. In 1947, Wright appeared in the Western Pursued (Raoul Walsh, 1947), opposite Robert Mitchum. The moody "Freudian Western" was written by her first husband Niven Busch. The following year, she starred with David Niven, Farley Granger, and Evelyn Keyes in Enchantment (Irving Reis, 1948), a story of two generations of lovers in parallel romances. Wright received glowing reviews for her performance. In December 1948, after rebelling against the studio system that brought her fame, Teresa Wright had a public falling out with Samuel Goldwyn, which resulted in the cancellation of Wright's contract with his studio.
In the 1950s, Teresa Wright appeared in several unsuccessful films, including The Capture (John Sturges, 1950), Something to Live For (George Stevens, 1952), California Conquest (Lew Landers, 1952), the Film Noir The Steel Trap (Andrew L. Stone, 1952) with Joseph Cotten, Count the Hours (Don Siegel, 1953), the comedy-drama The Actress (George Cukor, 1953), and the Western Track of the Cat (William A. Wellman, 1954), opposite Robert Mitchum again. Despite the poor box-office showing of these films, Wright was usually praised for her performances. Toward the end of the decade, Wright began to work more frequently in television and theatre. She received Emmy Award nominations for her performances in the Playhouse 90 original television version of The Miracle Worker (Arthur Penn, 1957) and in the Breck Sunday Showcase feature The Margaret Bourke-White Story (Alex March, 1960). In 1955 she played Doris Walker in The 20th Century-Fox Hour remake of the classic film, Miracle on 34th Street (George Seaton, 1947), opposite MacDonald Carey and Thomas Mitchell. In the 1960s, Wright returned to the New York stage appearing in three plays: 'Mary, Mary' (1962) at the Helen Hayes Theatre in the role of Mary McKellaway, 'I Never Sang for My Father' (1968) at the Longacre Theatre in the role of Alice, and 'Who's Happy Now?' (1969) at the Village South Theatre in the role of Mary Hallen. During this period, she also toured throughout the United States in stage productions of 'Mary, Mary' (1962), 'Tchin-Tchin' (1963) in the role of Pamela Pew-Picket, and 'The Locksmith' (1965) in the role of Katherine Butler Hathaway. In addition to her stage work, Wright made numerous television appearances throughout the decade, including episodes for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964), Bonanza (1964), The Defenders (1964, 1965), and Playhouse (1969).
In 1975, Teresa Wright appeared in the Broadway revival of 'Death of a Salesman', and in 1980, appeared in the revival of 'Morning's at Seven', for which she won a Drama Desk Award as a member of the Outstanding Ensemble Performance. In 1989, she received her third Emmy Award nomination for her performance in the drama series Dolphin Cove. Her last television role was in an episode of the drama series Picket Fences (1996). Wright's later film appearances included a major role in Somewhere in Time (Jeannot Szwarc, 1980), the role of the grandmother in The Good Mother (Leonard Nimoy, 1988) with Diane Keaton, and the role of Miss Birdie in John Grisham's The Rainmaker (Francis Ford Coppola, 1997), with Matt Damon and Danny DeVito. In her last decade, Wright lived quietly in her New England home in the town of Bridgewater, Connecticut, in Litchfield County, appearing occasionally at film festivals and forums and at events associated with the New York Yankees. In 1996, she reminisced about Alfred Hitchcock at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and in 2003, she appeared on the Academy Awards show in a segment honoring previous Oscar-winners. Teresa Wright died in 2005, of a heart attack at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut at the age of 86. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven. Wright was married to writer Niven Busch from 1942 to 1952. They had two children: a son, Niven Terence Busch (1944); and a daughter, Mary-Kelly Busch (1947). She married playwright Robert Anderson in 1959. They divorced in 1978 but maintained a close relationship until the end of her life. In 2016, 'A Girl's Got To Breathe: The Life of Teresa Wright', by Donald Spoto, was published in February 2016.
Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Teresa Wright
Dutch postcard, 1947.
American actress Teresa Wright (1918-2005) was nominated twice for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress: in 1941 for her debut work in The Little Foxes, and in 1942 for Mrs. Miniver, winning for the latter. That same year, she received a nomination for the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in The Pride of the Yankees (1942), opposite Gary Cooper. She is also known for her performances in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
Muriel Teresa Wright was born in 1918, in Harlem, New York City. She was the daughter of Martha (née Espy) and Arthur Hendricksen Wright, an insurance agent. Her parents separated when she was young. She grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, where she attended Columbia High School. After seeing Helen Hayes star in 'Victoria Regina' at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City in 1936, Wright took an interest in acting and began playing leading roles in school plays. She earned a scholarship to the Wharf Theater in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she was an apprentice for two summers. Following her high school graduation in 1938, she went to New York, shortened her name to Teresa Wright, and was hired as understudy to Dorothy McGuire and Martha Scott for the role of Emily in Thornton Wilder's stage production of 'Our Town' at Henry Miller's Theatre. She took over the role when Scott left for Hollywood to film the on-screen version of the play. In autumn 1939, Wright began a two-year appearance in the stage play 'Life with Father', playing the role of Mary Skinner. It was there that she was discovered by Samuel Goldwyn, who came to see her in the show she had been appearing in for almost a year. Goldwyn immediately hired the young actress for the role of Bette Davis' daughter in the adaptation of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes (William Wyler, 1941), signing her to a five-year Hollywood contract with the Goldwyn Studios.
In 1941, Teresa Wright was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film début in The Little Foxes. The following year, she was nominated again, this time for Best Actress for The Pride of the Yankees (Sam Wood, 1943), in which she played opposite Gary Cooper as the wife of Lou Gehrig. That same year, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as the daughter-in-law of Greer Garson's character in the American romantic war drama Mrs. Miniver (William Wyler, 1942). Wright is the first out of only nine players who have been nominated in both categories in the same year. Her three Academy Award nominations and one Academy Award in her first three films are unique. She remains the only performer to have received Oscar nominations for her first three films. In 1943, Wright appeared in the acclaimed Universal film Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1943), playing an innocent young woman who discovers her beloved uncle (Joseph Cotten) is a serial murderer. Hitchcock thought Wright was one of the most intelligent actors he had worked with, and through his direction brought out her vivacity, warmth, and youthful idealism—characteristics uncommon in Hitchcock's heroines. In 1946, Wright delivered another notable performance in The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946), an award-winning film about the adjustments of servicemen returning home after World War II. Four years later, she would appear in another story of war veterans, Fred The Men (Fred Zinnemann, 1950), which starred Marlon Brando in his film début. In 1947, Wright appeared in the Western Pursued (Raoul Walsh, 1947), opposite Robert Mitchum. The moody "Freudian Western" was written by her first husband Niven Busch. The following year, she starred with David Niven, Farley Granger, and Evelyn Keyes in Enchantment (Irving Reis, 1948), a story of two generations of lovers in parallel romances. Wright received glowing reviews for her performance. In December 1948, after rebelling against the studio system that brought her fame, Teresa Wright had a public falling out with Samuel Goldwyn, which resulted in the cancellation of Wright's contract with his studio.
In the 1950s, Teresa Wright appeared in several unsuccessful films, including The Capture (John Sturges, 1950), Something to Live For (George Stevens, 1952), California Conquest (Lew Landers, 1952), the Film Noir The Steel Trap (Andrew L. Stone, 1952) with Joseph Cotten, Count the Hours (Don Siegel, 1953), the comedy-drama The Actress (George Cukor, 1953), and the Western Track of the Cat (William A. Wellman, 1954), opposite Robert Mitchum again. Despite the poor box-office showing of these films, Wright was usually praised for her performances. Toward the end of the decade, Wright began to work more frequently in television and theatre. She received Emmy Award nominations for her performances in the Playhouse 90 original television version of The Miracle Worker (Arthur Penn, 1957) and in the Breck Sunday Showcase feature The Margaret Bourke-White Story (Alex March, 1960). In 1955 she played Doris Walker in The 20th Century-Fox Hour remake of the classic film, Miracle on 34th Street (George Seaton, 1947), opposite MacDonald Carey and Thomas Mitchell. In the 1960s, Wright returned to the New York stage appearing in three plays: 'Mary, Mary' (1962) at the Helen Hayes Theatre in the role of Mary McKellaway, 'I Never Sang for My Father' (1968) at the Longacre Theatre in the role of Alice, and 'Who's Happy Now?' (1969) at the Village South Theatre in the role of Mary Hallen. During this period, she also toured throughout the United States in stage productions of 'Mary, Mary' (1962), 'Tchin-Tchin' (1963) in the role of Pamela Pew-Picket, and 'The Locksmith' (1965) in the role of Katherine Butler Hathaway. In addition to her stage work, Wright made numerous television appearances throughout the decade, including episodes for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964), Bonanza (1964), The Defenders (1964, 1965), and Playhouse (1969).
In 1975, Teresa Wright appeared in the Broadway revival of 'Death of a Salesman', and in 1980, appeared in the revival of 'Morning's at Seven', for which she won a Drama Desk Award as a member of the Outstanding Ensemble Performance. In 1989, she received her third Emmy Award nomination for her performance in the drama series Dolphin Cove. Her last television role was in an episode of the drama series Picket Fences (1996). Wright's later film appearances included a major role in Somewhere in Time (Jeannot Szwarc, 1980), the role of the grandmother in The Good Mother (Leonard Nimoy, 1988) with Diane Keaton, and the role of Miss Birdie in John Grisham's The Rainmaker (Francis Ford Coppola, 1997), with Matt Damon and Danny DeVito. In her last decade, Wright lived quietly in her New England home in the town of Bridgewater, Connecticut, in Litchfield County, appearing occasionally at film festivals and forums and at events associated with the New York Yankees. In 1996, she reminisced about Alfred Hitchcock at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and in 2003, she appeared on the Academy Awards show in a segment honoring previous Oscar-winners. Teresa Wright died in 2005, of a heart attack at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut at the age of 86. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven. Wright was married to writer Niven Busch from 1942 to 1952. They had two children: a son, Niven Terence Busch (1944); and a daughter, Mary-Kelly Busch (1947). She married playwright Robert Anderson in 1959. They divorced in 1978 but maintained a close relationship until the end of her life. In 2016, 'A Girl's Got To Breathe: The Life of Teresa Wright', by Donald Spoto, was published in February 2016.
Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.