A retired husky voiced British stage, television and film actress, dancer, pianist, and singer. Born on October 6, 1923 in Pretoria, South Africa as Glynis Margaret P. Johns, while her parents were on tour. She is the daughter of actor Mervyn Johns and Alice (Alyce) Maud Steele Wareham (1901 - 1970) who was an Australian concert pianist. Another source gives the spelling of her name as Alys Maude Steel-Payne. Glynis was always proud of her Welsh roots and took delight in playing the female lead (opposite Richard Burton) in the classic Under Milk Wood (1971). She is best known for her light comedy roles and often playful flirtation and creating the role of Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music on Broadway, for which she won a Tony Award, and for her role as the suffragette mother Winifred Banks in Walt Disney's musical motion picture box office smash Mary Poppins (1964). In both roles, she sang songs written specifically for her, including "Send in the Clowns", composed by Stephen Sondheim, and "Sister Suffragette", written by the Sherman Brothers. Although she is probably best loved for her fishy roles in Miranda (1948) and Mad About Men (1954). She had earlier showed she could take on the serious roles as well as in Frieda (1947). Most recently seen (at the time of writing) in Superstar (1999). She was nominated for an Oscar for her work in the 1960 film The Sundowners. She is notable for the breathy quality of her husky voice and her eternally upbeat persona.
Movie | Six by Sondheim | Self (archive footage) | 2013-12-09 |
Movie | Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: The Making of 'Mary Poppins' | Self | 2004-12-14 |
Movie | Superstar | Grandma | 1999-10-08 |
Movie | While You Were Sleeping | Elsie | 1995-04-21 |
Movie | The Ref | Rose Chasseur | 1994-03-09 |
Movie | The Secret Garden | Darjeeling (voice) | 1994-11-05 |
Series | Coming of Age | 1988-03-15 | |
Movie | Zelly & Me | Co-Co | 1988-04-15 |
Movie | Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School | Ms. Grimwood (voice) | 1988-10-16 |
Movie | Nukie | Sister Anne | 1987-07-01 |
Series | Murder, She Wrote | Unknown | 1984-09-30 |
Movie | The Crime of Ovide Plouffe | 1984-08-29 | |
Series | Cheers | Unknown | 1982-09-30 |
Series | Little Gloria... Happy at Last | Laura Fitzpatrick Morgan | 1982-10-24 |
Movie | Three Dangerous Ladies | Mrs. Amworth | 1977-06-05 |
Movie | Mrs. Amworth | Mrs. Amworth | 1975-01-01 |
Movie | The Happy Prince | Swallow (voice) | 1974-12-02 |
Movie | The Vault of Horror | Eleanor Critchit (segment 2 "The Neat Job") | 1973-03-16 |
Movie | Under Milk Wood | Myfanwy Price | 1972-01-27 |
Movie | Lock Up Your Daughters | Mrs Squeezum | 1969-03-29 |
Movie | Don't Just Stand There | Sabine Manning | 1968-09-03 |
Series | The Dick Cavett Show | Herself - Guest | 1968-06-06 |
Series | Batman | Unknown | 1966-01-12 |
Movie | Dear Brigitte | Vina Leaf | 1965-01-08 |
Movie | Mary Poppins | Mrs. Banks | 1964-12-17 |
Movie | Papa's Delicate Condition | Amberlyn Griffith | 1963-03-06 |
Series | Vacation Playhouse | Glynis Granville | 1963-07-22 |
Series | Glynis | 1963-09-25 | |
Series | Burke's Law | Unknown | 1963-09-20 |
Series | The Beachcomber | Unknown | 1962-02-20 |
Movie | The Cabinet of Caligari | Jane Lindstrom | 1962-05-25 |
Movie | The Chapman Report | Teresa Harnish | 1962-10-05 |
Series | The Lloyd Bridges Show | Unknown | 1962-09-11 |
Series | Dr. Kildare | Unknown | 1961-09-27 |
Series | The Roaring 20's | Unknown | 1960-10-15 |
Movie | Last of the Few | Self / Narrator | 1960-04-27 |
Movie | The Spider's Web | Clarissa Hailsham-Brown | 1960-11-01 |
Movie | The Sundowners | Mrs. Firth | 1960-12-08 |
Movie | Shake Hands with the Devil | Kitty Brady | 1959-06-24 |
Series | Adventures in Paradise | Unknown | 1959-10-05 |
Movie | Another Time, Another Place | Kay Trevor | 1958-05-02 |
Series | Naked City | Unknown | 1958-09-30 |
Movie | All Mine to Give | Jo Eunson | 1957-11-13 |
Movie | Loser Takes All | Cary | 1956-09-09 |
Movie | Around the World in Eighty Days | Sporting Lady's Companion | 1956-10-17 |
Movie | Josephine and Men | Josephine Luton | 1955-11-09 |
Movie | The Court Jester | Maid Jean | 1955-12-24 |
Movie | The Seekers | Marion Southey | 1954-06-22 |
Movie | The Weak and the Wicked | Jean Raymond | 1954-02-02 |
Movie | The Beachcomber | Martha Jones | 1954-08-10 |
Movie | Mad About Men | Caroline Trewella / Miranda Trewella | 1954-11-16 |
Movie | The Sword and the Rose | Princess Mary Tudor | 1953-07-23 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | The Oscars | Unknown | 1953-03-19 |
Movie | Personal Affair | Barbara Vining | 1953-10-20 |
Movie | Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue | Helen Mary MacPherson MacGregor | 1953-10-26 |
Movie | The Magic Box | May Jones | 1952-01-01 |
Movie | The Card | Ruth Earp | 1952-02-25 |
Movie | No Highway in the Sky | Marjorie Corder | 1951-06-28 |
Movie | Flesh and Blood | Katherine Manley | 1951-03-06 |
Movie | Encore | Stella Cotman | 1951-06-11 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Unknown | 1951-10-05 |
Movie | Appointment with Venus | Nicola Fallaize | 1951-10-08 |
Series | Your Show of Shows | Unknown | 1950-02-25 |
Movie | State Secret | Lisa Robinson | 1950-09-11 |
Movie | Third Time Lucky | Joan Burns | 1949-01-06 |
Movie | Dear Mr. Prohack | Mimi Warburton | 1949-09-07 |
Movie | Helter Skelter | Miranda Trewella | 1949-01-07 |
Movie | Miranda | Miranda Trewella | 1948-04-06 |
Series | Studio One | Unknown | 1948-11-07 |
Movie | Frieda | Judy Dawson | 1947-06-19 |
Movie | An Ideal Husband | Mabel Chiltern | 1947-11-14 |
Movie | This Man Is Mine | Millie | 1946-09-12 |
Movie | Perfect Strangers | Dizzy Clayton | 1945-10-15 |
Movie | The Halfway House | Gwyneth | 1944-02-01 |
Movie | The Adventures of Tartu | Paula Palacek | 1943-10-01 |
Movie | 49th Parallel | Anna | 1941-11-24 |
Movie | The Briggs Family | Sheila Briggs | 1940-09-07 |
Movie | The Thief of Bagdad | Princess's Maid (uncredited) | 1940-02-19 |
Movie | Under Your Hat | Winnie | 1940-09-01 |
Movie | On the Night of the Fire | Mary | 1939-10-26 |
Movie | South Riding | Midge Carne | 1938-08-01 |
Movie | Prison Without Bars | Nina | 1938-09-20 |