Wednesday, June 08, 2005
The Most Erotic Forty-Something of All Time
On Monday, the acting world lost 73-year old Anna Maria Louise Italiano, more commonly known as Tony and Academy-Award winner Anne Bancroft after succumbing to uterine cancer on Monday (06 06 05). Her husband, movie director Mel Brooks, was at her bedside.
Bancroft appeared in some of Brooks' comedies: Silent Movie, a remake of To Be or Not to Be and Dracula: Dead and Loving It. She was also the one who suggested that he make a stage musical of his movie The Producers. Her recent return to the stage was triggered watching Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick rehearse The Producers. In 2002 she returned to Broadway for the first time since 1981, appearing in Edward Albee's Occupant.
Paying homage, lights were dimmed on Broadway last night and many theaters plan to dim the lights before tonight's shows.
As reported on FemaleFirst.co.uk the husky voiced, Bronx-born actress was nominated for five Oscars and made more than 60 films. The story goes that either the former Ms. Italiano, b. 1931, found her surname too Italian, or too ethnic or the studios did. To attract and maintain the conservative, American movie-going public, her agent, managers and the studio offered up vanilla-WASP name options. She reportedly chose Bancroft in the 1950s "because it sounded dignified." Her marriage to Mel Brooks gave her yet another name, but that switch was years into her career.
The actress was often quoted as surprised (read annoyed) that her body of dramatic work was upstaged for her entire career by a single film character played in Mike Nichol's 1967 hit, The Graduate. Much to her chagrin, Ms. Bancroft made the icily cool and sexy 'Mrs. Robinson' the all-time, middle-aged, femme fatale. Not nearly as racy, her most recent parent role was as Ben Stiller's mom in the 2002 film, Keeping the Faith.
In chrnological order, her other work included:
"Don't Bother to Knock," 1952
"Tonight We Sing," 1953
"Treasure of the Golden Condor," 1953
"The Kid from Left Field," 1953
"Gorilla at Large," 1954
"Demetrius and the Gladiators," 1954
"The Raid," 1954
"New York Confidential," 1955
"Nightfall," 1957
"The Restless Breed," 1957
"The Girl in Black Stockings," 1957
"The Miracle Worker," 1962
"The Pumpkin Eater," 1964
"The Slender Thread," 1965
"7 Women," 1966
"The Graduate," 1967
"Young Winston," 1972
"Lipstick," 1976
"The Turning Point," 1977
"Fatso," 1980
"The Elephant Man," 1980
"To Be or Not to Be," 1983
"Garbo Talks," 1984
"Agnes of God," 1985
"'Night, Mother," 1986
"84 Charing Cross Road," 1987
"Torch Song Trilogy," 1988
"Rigby, You're a Fool," 1989
"How to Make an American Quilt," 1995
"Antz," 1998
"Up at the Villa," 2000
Along with Brooks and their son, Ms. Bancroft is survived by her mother, two sisters, a daughter-in-law and a grandson.
Rest in peace Anna Maria Louise Italiano.
Bancroft appeared in some of Brooks' comedies: Silent Movie, a remake of To Be or Not to Be and Dracula: Dead and Loving It. She was also the one who suggested that he make a stage musical of his movie The Producers. Her recent return to the stage was triggered watching Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick rehearse The Producers. In 2002 she returned to Broadway for the first time since 1981, appearing in Edward Albee's Occupant.
Paying homage, lights were dimmed on Broadway last night and many theaters plan to dim the lights before tonight's shows.
As reported on FemaleFirst.co.uk the husky voiced, Bronx-born actress was nominated for five Oscars and made more than 60 films. The story goes that either the former Ms. Italiano, b. 1931, found her surname too Italian, or too ethnic or the studios did. To attract and maintain the conservative, American movie-going public, her agent, managers and the studio offered up vanilla-WASP name options. She reportedly chose Bancroft in the 1950s "because it sounded dignified." Her marriage to Mel Brooks gave her yet another name, but that switch was years into her career.
The actress was often quoted as surprised (read annoyed) that her body of dramatic work was upstaged for her entire career by a single film character played in Mike Nichol's 1967 hit, The Graduate. Much to her chagrin, Ms. Bancroft made the icily cool and sexy 'Mrs. Robinson' the all-time, middle-aged, femme fatale. Not nearly as racy, her most recent parent role was as Ben Stiller's mom in the 2002 film, Keeping the Faith.
In chrnological order, her other work included:
"Don't Bother to Knock," 1952
"Tonight We Sing," 1953
"Treasure of the Golden Condor," 1953
"The Kid from Left Field," 1953
"Gorilla at Large," 1954
"Demetrius and the Gladiators," 1954
"The Raid," 1954
"New York Confidential," 1955
"Nightfall," 1957
"The Restless Breed," 1957
"The Girl in Black Stockings," 1957
"The Miracle Worker," 1962
"The Pumpkin Eater," 1964
"The Slender Thread," 1965
"7 Women," 1966
"The Graduate," 1967
"Young Winston," 1972
"Lipstick," 1976
"The Turning Point," 1977
"Fatso," 1980
"The Elephant Man," 1980
"To Be or Not to Be," 1983
"Garbo Talks," 1984
"Agnes of God," 1985
"'Night, Mother," 1986
"84 Charing Cross Road," 1987
"Torch Song Trilogy," 1988
"Rigby, You're a Fool," 1989
"How to Make an American Quilt," 1995
"Antz," 1998
"Up at the Villa," 2000
Along with Brooks and their son, Ms. Bancroft is survived by her mother, two sisters, a daughter-in-law and a grandson.
Rest in peace Anna Maria Louise Italiano.
