Biography for
Anne Bancroft (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

17 September 1931, The Bronx, New York, USA

Date of Death

6 June 2005, New York City, New York, USA (uterine cancer)

Birth Name

Anna Maria Louise Italiano

Nickname

Annie

Height

5' 6½" (1.69 m)

Mini Biography

Anna Maria Italiano was born 1931 in the Bronx, New York. She made her cinema debut in 1952 in Don't Bother to Knock (1952). In the fifties she made a lot of movies as a supporting actress until she became a star with The Miracle Worker (1962), directed by Arthur Penn, for which she won an Academy Award. The sixties in general were her best years: The Pumpkin Eater (1964) directed by Jack Clayton, 7 Women (1966) directed by John Ford and The Graduate (1967) directed by Mike Nichols. In 1964 she married Mel Brooks. After the sixties she reduced her appearances in movies but still had some important roles like, for example, Garbo Talks (1984) directed by Sidney Lumet. She also began to make some TV films.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Volker Boehm

Spouse

Mel Brooks	(5 August 1964 - 6 June 2005) (her death) 1 child
Martin May	(1 July 1953 - 13 February 1957) (divorced)

Trade Mark

In most of her films, she habitually removes an earring before answering a telephone

Trivia

Was a leading choice to play the mother in Terms of Endearment (1983).

Was offered the role of Chris MacNeil (the mother) in The Exorcist (1973), but had to turn it down because she was pregnant.

She and Mel Brooks met on the set of a TV talk show, and Mel later paid a woman who worked on the show to tell him which restaurant Anne was going to eat at that night so he could "accidentally" bump into her again and strike up a conversation.

Graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.

She and Mel Brooks married at New York City Hall, where a passer-by served as their witness.

Has two sisters.

Nieces: Julie and Teresa.

Said that director Arthur Penn had the greatest impact on her career.

She received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television. You can find the star at 6368 Hollywood Bld.

Parents: Michael and Mildred

Sisters: Joanne (older) and Phyllis (younger)

Son with Mel Brooks: Max Brooks, born 1972.

1999: She became the 15th performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscar: Best Actress, The Miracle Worker (1962), Tonys: Best Supporting Actress-Play, "Two for the Seesaw" (1958) & Best Actress-Play, "The Miracle Worker" (1960), and Emmy: Best Supporting Actress-Miniseries/Movie, Deep in My Heart (1999) (TV).

One of only eight actors to have won both a Tony and an Oscar for having portrayed the same roles on stage and screen. The others are Joel Grey (Cabaret (1972)), Shirley Booth (Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)), Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady (1964)), Yul Brynner (The King and I (1956)), Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons (1966)), José Ferrer (Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)) and Jack Albertson (The Subject Was Roses (1968)).

Has won two Tony Awards: in 1958, as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Two For The Seesaw," and in 1960, as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "The Miracle Worker," a role she recreated in her Oscar-winning performance in the film version of the same name, The Miracle Worker (1962). She was also Tony nominated in 1978 as Best Actress (Play) for "Golda," in which she played the title character, Golda Meir.

1967: She accepted the Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" on behalf of Elizabeth Taylor, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony.

1993: She (together with Dustin Hoffman) accepted the Oscar for "Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium" on behalf of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony.

4/05: Grandson Henry Michael Brooks born.

1987: Was booked to appear on the British chat show "Wogan" (1982). In the green room five minutes before airtime, host Terry Wogan informed her that the show was live. According to Wogan she turned a deathly shade of pale and said she never did live television. In order to calm her down, Wogan suggested that she count 1, 2, 3... before walking on. When she was called onto the set, she could quite noticeably be seen counting whilst walking to her seat. She remained very uncomfortable and all her answers were monosyllabic. Wogan still says she was his most difficult guest.

She was only 6 years older than Dustin Hoffman when she played his girlfriend's mother in The Graduate (1967).

She said that at the start of her career, 20th Century-Fox thought that her real name--Anna Maria Italiano--was "too ethnic," and gave her several options for a new one. She chose Bancroft because she thought it sounded dignified.

A Catholic Italian-American girl, she converted to Judaism after marrying Mel Brooks.

She, Mel Brooks and their son Max Brooks all are Emmy-winners.

Her performance as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate (1967) is ranked #47 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Was the original choice to play Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981), she left the project once the screenplay was completed.

In 1963, she won her Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" against fellow contender Geraldine Page. In 1986, it was Page who won the Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" beating out Bancroft, who was nominated for her performance in Agnes of God (1985).

Said that for many years after doing The Graduate (1967), young men would tell her that she was the first woman they had sexual fantasies about.

1998: Made a special appearance at the The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998) (TV) and participated in the Oscar Winners Tribute sequence along with other Academy Award winners.

6/05: At her memorial service in NYC, Paul Simon sang "Mrs Robinson" and she was eulogized by her The Miracle Worker (1962) costar Patty Duke.

Godmother of Alan Yentob's children.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 29-31. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

Has a street named after her in Iowa City, Iowa.

Godmother of Dom DeLuise's youngest son David DeLuise.

Stepmother of Stephanie Brooks, Nicky Brooks and Eddie Brooks.

Personal Quotes

I was at a point where I was ready to say, "I am what I am because of what I am and if you like me I'm grateful, and if you don't, what am I going to do about it?"

Life is here only to be lived so that we can, through life, earn the right to death, which to me is paradise. Whatever it is that will bring me the reward of paradise, I'll do the best I can.

The best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps they're too old to do it.

When [Mel Brooks] told his Jewish mother he was marrying an Italian girl, she said: "Bring her over. I'll be in the kitchen - with my head in the oven".

[of her Mrs. Robinson role in The Graduate (1967)] Film critics said I gave a voice to the fear we all have: that we'll reach a point in our lives, look around and realize that all the things we said we'd do and become will never come to be - and that we're ordinary.

[from 1984] The only reason I'm still not doing "Daughter of Gorilla at Large" is because my personal life had become a shambles. Every picture I did was worse than the last one and every man I was in love with was worse than the last one. I was terribly immature. I was going steadily downhill in terms of self-respect and dignity.

[on John Ford] Marvelous but loony, tearing out pages of the script everywhere.

Salary

"Freddie and Max" (1990)

£ 250,000

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