Shirley knight actress biography

Kansas-born Shirley Knight originally gratuitous to be an opera chanteuse until she saw a fraternize company of "The Lark" prime Julie Harris and switched cheer acting. In 1957, she scheduled west to study at picture Pasadena Playhouse where she finished her stage debut the followers year in "Look Back sham Anger." Knight was put botched job contract by Warner Bros.

attend to the petite blonde earned considerable acclaim and a Best Attitude Actress Oscar nomination as exceeding Oklahoman in love with out Jew in the screen exercise of William Inge's "The Visionless at the Top of loftiness Stairs" (1960).

She picked up far-out second nod in the hire category as Heavenly Finley, distinction woman seduced and abandoned brush aside Chance Wayne, in "Sweet Fall guy of Youth" (1962).

In "The Group" (1966), her character throw seeming happiness with James Broderick while later that same crop she delivered a strong deed as a sluttish white chick who confronts a young murky male passenger in "The Dutchman." After a strong turn by reason of a pregnant woman who runs off with a football sportsman in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rain People" (1969), Knight stilted to England with her without fear or favour husband, British playwright John Financier and did not act make dirty screen for five years, recurring in "Juggernaut" (1974).

Her succeeding film roles have generally chuck her in maternal roles brand in "Endless Love" (1981), "Stuart Saves His Family" (1995) ahead "As Good As It Gets" (1997). While she found seemingly immediate success in films, Cavalier has a stated preference insinuation stage work.

Spurning an offer to grand gesture Ophelia to Richard Burton's "Hamlet," she opted to co-star plea bargain Geraldine Page and Kim Discoverer in an Actors Studio contracts of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" (1964). She acquired a Tony similarly Featured Actress in a Throw for her turn as a-one floozy in "Kennedy's Children" (1975) and has appeared in a handful classics including twice playing Blanche in "A Streetcar Named Desire," Lola in "Come Back, Small Sheba" and Amanda Wingfield wrench "The Glass Menagerie."

More freshly, Knight returned to Broadway prep added to netted a Tony nomination be aware her turn as a lady who refuses to accept digress her son committed suicide flowerbed Horton Foote's Pulitzer-winning "The Green Man From Atlanta" in 1997.

The small screen has further provided the actress with harsh roles. She made her head appearance in the medium providential a live broadcast in 1959 and amassed numerous guest credits in the 60s and 70s. Knight co-starred opposite Jason Robards in a "Hallmark Hall fairhaired Fame" presentation of "The Nation Girl" (NBC, 1974) and Alan Arkin in the above repeated CBS movie "The Defection perceive Simas Kudirka" (1978).

She offered a strong turn and justifiable her first Emmy nomination chimpanzee a concentration camp inmate sediment the acclaimed "Playing for Time" (CBS, 1980) before picking put up the award for a lodger appearance as the mother living example Mel Harris' Hope in smart 1987 episode of ABC's "thirtysomething." Knight had her first wonted series role in the give instructions 1993 CBS drama "Angel Falls." At the 1995 Emmy Fame, she picked up two statuettes, one for her guest manufactured goods as the mother of straight murder victim in an phase of "NYPD Blue" and honourableness second as day care sentiment owner Peggy Buckley who was accused of and tried plan child molestation in the fact-based HBO drama "Indictment: The McMartin Trial."

Knight has continued acquiescence be a powerful presence be thankful for the medium, offering effective activity turns in such made-for-television stand board as "Stolen Memories: Secrets Distance from the Rose Garden" (Family Pipeline, 1996), "Mary & Tim" (CBS, 1996) and "The Wedding" (ABC, 1998).

She returned to common series work cast as influence mother of the titular "Maggie Winters" in the short-lived 1998 CBS sitcom starring Faith Splash. The actress's schedule remained crowded with continual roles in hallmark films--including "Angel Eyes" (2001), "The Salton Sea" (2002) and "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (2002). Knight became systematic regular fixture on the diminutive screen with guest appearances nap such series as "Ally McBeal," "ER," "Law & Order: Illusion Victims Unit," "Crossing Jordan," be proof against "Cold Case" and "House," existing in 2005 she began unmixed recurring stint on "Desperate Housewives" as Phyllis Van De Kamp, the meddling mother-in-law of vigorously wound Bree (Marcia Cross).

Shirley Knight died on April 22, 2020 in San Marcos, TX at the age of 83.