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IMDbPro

Judith Anderson(1897-1992)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Judith Anderson circa 1946
In 1825, an English aristocrat is captured by Native Americans. He lives with them and begins to understand their way of life. Eventually, he is accepted as part of the tribe and aspires to become their leader.
Play trailer2:52
A Man Called Horse (1970)
10 Videos
99+ Photos
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 (1960). Anderson's long association with Euripides' "Medea" began with her acclaimed Tony Award-winning 1948 stage performance in the title role. She appeared in the television version of Medea (1983) in the supporting character of the Nurse.

Anderson made her Hollywood film debut under director Rowland Brown in a supporting role in Blood Money (1933). Her striking, not conventionally attractive features were complemented with her powerful presence, mastery of timing and an effortless style. Anderson made a film career as a supporting character actress in several significant films including Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940), for which she was Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She worked with director Otto Preminger in Laura (1944), then with René Clair in And Then There Were None (1945). Her remarkable performance in a supporting role in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) fit in a stellar acting ensemble under director Richard Brooks.

Anderson was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1960 Queen's New Year's Honours List for her services to the performing arts. Living in Santa Barbara in her later years, she also had a successful stint on the soap opera Santa Barbara (1984) and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1984. In the same year, at age 87, she appeared in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) 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.
BornFebruary 10, 1897
DiedJanuary 3, 1992(94)
BornFebruary 10, 1897
DiedJanuary 3, 1992(94)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar

Photos100

Judith Anderson in The Red House (1947)
Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson in The Red House (1947)
Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson in The Red House (1947)
Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson in The Red House (1947)
Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson in The Red House (1947)
Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson in The Red House (1947)
Judith Anderson in The Red House (1947)
Judith Anderson in Rebecca (1940)
Judith Anderson, Francis Lederer, and Reginald Owen in The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)
Judith Anderson in The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)
Judith Anderson, Hurd Hatfield, and Reginald Owen in The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)
Judith Anderson and Francis Lederer in The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)

Known for

Rebecca (1940)
Rebecca
8.1
  • Mrs. Danvers
  • 1940
Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Merritt Butrick, and Robin Curtis in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
6.6
  • Vulcan High Priestess(as Dame Judith Anderson)
  • 1984
Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews in Laura (1944)
Laura
7.9
  • Ann Treadwell
  • 1944
Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
7.9
  • Ida 'Big Mama' Pollitt
  • 1958

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Robin Wright, Judith Anderson, Valorie Armstrong, Melissa Reeves, Robert Alan Browne, Paul Burke, Ismael 'East' Carlo, Margarita Cordova, Nicolas Coster, Lane Davies, Richard Eden, Gina Gallego, Linda Gibboney, Andrea Howard, Ava Lazar, A Martinez, Todd McKee, John Allen Nelson, Rupert Ravens, Julie Ronnie, Kerry Sherman, Louise Sorel, Jonna Leigh Stack, Marcy Walker, and Dane Witherspoon in Santa Barbara (1984)
    Santa Barbara
  • Impure Thoughts (1986)
    Impure Thoughts
  • The Booth (1985)
    The Booth
  • Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Merritt Butrick, and Robin Curtis in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
    • (as Dame Judith Anderson)
  • Medea (1983)
    Medea
  • Inn of the Damned (1975)
    Inn of the Damned
    • (as Dame Judith Anderson)
  • The Chinese Prime Minister
  • The Underground Man (1974)
    The Underground Man
    • (as Dame Judith Anderson)
  • The Borrowers (1973)
    The Borrowers
    • (as Dame Judith Anderson)
  • Richard Harris and Corinna Tsopei in A Man Called Horse (1970)
    A Man Called Horse
    • (as Dame Judith Anderson)
  • The File on Devlin
  • Charlton Heston and Judith Anderson in Elizabeth the Queen (1968)
    Elizabeth the Queen
  • The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964)
    The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre
    • (as Dame Judith Anderson)
  • Why Bother to Knock (1961)
    Why Bother to Knock
  • Jerry Lewis, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Norman Rockwell, and Ed Wynn in Cinderfella (1960)
    Cinderfella

Soundtrack

  • Eddie Cantor and Baby Quintanilla in Forty Little Mothers (1940)
    Forty Little Mothers
    • ("Little Curly Hair in a High Chair" (1940), uncredited)

Videos11

Trailer
Trailer 3:30
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:52
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:58
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:09
Official Trailer
The Furies
Trailer 2:18
The Furies
Salome
Trailer 3:07
Salome
Cinderfella
Trailer 1:25
Cinderfella
The Ten Commandments: Blu-Ray Release
Trailer 1:08
The Ten Commandments: Blu-Ray Release
Laura
Trailer 2:31
Laura
Kings Row
Trailer 3:22
Kings Row
Rebecca
Trailer 0:21
Rebecca

Personal details

Edit
    • February 10, 1897
    • Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
    • January 3, 1992
    • Santa Barbara, California, USA(pneumonia)
    • Luther GreeneJuly 11, 1946 - June 26, 1951 (divorced)
    • (Stepchild)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Jessie Weston"; Broadway debut) in "Peter Weston" on Broadway. Drama. Written by Frank Mitchell Dazey [earliest Broadway credit] and Leighton Osmun. Directed by Frank Keenan. Sam H. Harris Theatre: 18 Sep 1923-Oct 1923 (closing date unknown/23 performances). Cast: George Barnum (credited as George W. Barnum; as "The Butler"), Hope Drown (as "The Maid"), Paul Everton (as "William Harris"), Millicent Hanley (as "Isabelle Weston"), Jay Hanna (as "James Weston"), Austin O. Huhn (credited as A.O. Huhn; as "The Police Officer"], Frank Keenan (as "Peter Weston"), Wilfred Lytell (as "Paul Vannard"), Fred Mosley (as "Henry Vannard"), Clyde North (as "John Weston"). Produced by Sam Harris.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 1 Interview
    • 1 Article

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    She was 87 years old when she appeared as the High Priestess in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). 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.
  • Quotes
    I have not myself a very serene temperament.
    • Rich smooth commanding voice
    • Cinderfella
      (1960)
      $60,000 per week

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