Anne Revere

Anne Revere

from the trailer for Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Born (1903-06-25)June 25, 1903
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died December 18, 1990(1990-12-18) (aged 87)
Locust Valley, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1931–76
Spouse(s) Samuel Rosen (1935–84)

Anne Revere (June 25, 1903 – December 18, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress.

Early life

Born in New York City, Revere was a direct descendant of Boston silversmith and American Revolution hero Paul Revere.[1] Her father, Clinton, was a stockbroker,[2] and she was raised on the Upper West Side and in Westfield, New Jersey. In 1926, she graduated from Wellesley College. Despite her unsuccessful attempts to join dramatic groups in high school and (initially) in college, she eventually was successful at Wellesley and studied dramatics there.[3] She went on to enroll at the American Laboratory School to study acting with Maria Ouspenskaya and Richard Boleslavsky.[2]

Career

Revere made her Broadway debut in 1931 in The Great Barrington. Three years later, she went to Hollywood to reprise her stage role in the film adaptation of Double Door. She returned to Broadway to create the role of Martha Dobie in the original 1934 production of The Children's Hour, and in later years she appeared on the New York stage in As You Like It, The Three Sisters, and Toys in the Attic,[4] for which she won the 1960 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play.[5]

Revere worked steadily as a character actress in films, appearing in nearly three dozen between 1934 and 1951.[2] She frequently was cast in the role of a matriarch and played mother to Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, John Garfield, and Montgomery Clift, among others. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress three times and won for her performance in National Velvet.[6] Additional screen credits included The Song of Bernadette, Gentleman's Agreement, The Keys of the Kingdom, Body and Soul, and A Place in the Sun.

In 1951, Revere resigned from the board of the Screen Actors Guild. At the time she was an active member of the American Communist Party. She later pleaded the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.[7] She would not appear again on film for the next 20 years,[2] finally returning to the screen in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon.

She began appearing on television in 1960, notably in soap operas such as The Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow, and Ryan's Hope.

Revere and her husband, theatre director Samuel Rosen, moved to New York and opened an acting school, and she continued to work in summer stock and regional theater productions and on television.

Illness and death

Revere died of pneumonia in her Locust Valley, New York, home at the age of 87.[8] She was survived by one sister.[7]

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1934 Double Door Caroline Van Brett
1940 The Howards of Virginia Mrs. Betsy Norton
One Crowded Night Mae Andrews
1941 Remember the Day Miss Nadine Price
The Flame of New Orleans Giraud's Sister
Men of Boys Town Mrs. Fenely
The Devil Commands Mrs. Walters
1942 The Gay Sisters Miss Ida Orner
Are Husbands Necessary? Anna
Meet the Stewarts Geraldine Stewart
1943 The Song of Bernadette Louise Soubirous Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Old Acquaintance Belle Carter
Shantytown Mrs. Gorty
The Meanest Man in the World Kitty Crockett, Clark's Secretary
1944 The Keys of the Kingdom Agnes Fiske
National Velvet Mrs. Brown Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Sunday Dinner for a Soldier Agatha Butterfield
Rainbow Island Queen Okalana
Standing Room Only Major Harriet Cromwell
The Thin Man Goes Home Crazy Mary
1945 Fallen Angel Clara Mills
Don Juan Quilligan Mrs. Cora Rostigaff
1946 Dragonwyck Abigail Wells
1947 Gentleman's Agreement Mrs. Green Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Forever Amber Mother Red Cap
Body and Soul Anna Davis
Carnival in Costa Rica Mama Elsa Molina
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim Alice Pritchard
1948 Deep Waters Mary McKay
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! Judith Dominy
Secret Beyond the Door Caroline Lamphere
1949 You're My Everything Aunt Jane
1951 A Place in the Sun Hannah Eastman
The Great Missouri Raid Mrs. Samuels
1970 Macho Callahan Crystal
Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon Miss Farber
1976 Birch Interval Mrs. Tanner

References

  1. Robertson, Patrick, The Guinness Book of Almost Everything You Didn't Need to Know About the Movies. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1986. ISBN 0-85112-481-X, p. 34
  2. 1 2 3 4 Peter B. Flint (December 19, 1990). "Anne Revere, 87, Actress, Dies; Was Movie Mother of Many Stars". The New York Times.
  3. Coons, Robin (April 13, 1944). "Anne Revere Already Has A Job". Big Spring Daily Herald (Big Spring, Texas). p. 4. Retrieved March 19, 2016 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Anne Revere". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. "Anne Revere". Tony Awards. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  6. "Anne Revere". Academy Awards. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Anne Revere, 87; won Oscar, blacklisted in '50s". Chicago Tribune. December 20, 1990. p. 8-Section 2. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  8. Obituary Variety, December 24, 1990.

External links

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