Anne Bancroft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anne Bancroft
Studio publicity photograph, c. 1952
Born	Anna Maria Louisa Italiano (1931-09-17)September 17, 1931 New York City, U.S.
Died	June 6, 2005(2005-06-06) (aged 73) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Kensico Cemetery
Other names	Ann(e) Marno
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1951–2005
Spouse(s)	Martin May ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1957)​ Mel Brooks ​ (m. 1964)​
Children	Max Brooks

Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an amazing American actress. She was known for being very talented and able to play many different kinds of characters. Anne won many important awards, including an Oscar, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards. She was one of only 24 actors to win the Triple Crown of Acting, which means she won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony Award!

Anne studied a special acting style called method acting at the Actors Studio. She started her film career in 1952 with Don't Bother to Knock. After making several films, she moved to Broadway plays. In 1958, she won a Tony Award for her role in Two for the Seesaw. The next year, she won another Tony Award for playing Anne Sullivan in The Miracle Worker. Her success on stage led her back to films, and she starred in the movie version of The Miracle Worker (1962), winning an Academy Award for Best Actress. She also received Oscar nominations for her roles in The Pumpkin Eater (1964), The Graduate (1967), The Turning Point (1977), and Agnes of God (1985).

Anne continued acting throughout her life. Some of her later well-known movies include The Elephant Man (1980), To Be or Not to Be (1983), and G.I. Jane (1997). She also appeared in many TV films and won an Emmy Award for Deep in My Heart (1999). Anne Bancroft passed away on June 6, 2005, at age 73. She was married to the famous director and actor Mel Brooks, and they had a son named Max.

Early Life and Beginnings

Anne Bancroft was born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano on September 17, 1931, in the Bronx, New York City. She was the middle of three daughters. Her parents were immigrants from Southern Italy. Anne grew up in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx.

She went to Christopher Columbus High School and later studied acting at several places, including the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Actors Studio. When she started her career, she used the name Anne Marno for a short time. Later, she changed her last name to Bancroft because it sounded "dignified."

A Star's Career

Anne Bancroft made her first movie appearance in 1952 in Don't Bother to Knock. Over the next five years, she acted in 14 more films. In 1958, she made her first appearance on Broadway in the play Two for the Seesaw. She won a Tony Award for this role.

Anne Bancroft (left) with Patty Duke in the stage play The Miracle Worker, 1960

In 1960, Anne won another Tony Award for her role as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker. In this play, she taught Helen Keller to communicate. She then starred in the 1962 movie version of the play, winning an Academy Award for Best Actress. Patty Duke played Helen Keller in both the play and the movie.

Anne Bancroft became very famous for playing Mrs. Robinson in the 1967 movie The Graduate. This role earned her another Oscar nomination. She sometimes felt that this role overshadowed her other great work.

In 1970, Anne won an Emmy Award for a TV special called Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man. She also made a small, uncredited appearance in her husband Mel Brooks's movie Blazing Saddles (1974). She received more Oscar nominations for The Turning Point (1977) and Agnes of God (1985).

Anne also tried directing and writing. She directed and starred in the 1980 film Fatso. She continued to act in many films and TV shows throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, often playing supporting roles alongside other big stars. Her last acting role was a voice part in the animated movie Delgo, which was released after she passed away.

Anne Bancroft has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television. She was also made a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1992.

Personal Life and Family

Anne Bancroft's first marriage was to lawyer Martin May. They were married from 1953 to 1957.

Anne Bancroft with her husband Mel Brooks at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival

In 1961, Anne met the famous director, actor, and writer Mel Brooks. They got married on August 5, 1964, and stayed married until her death. Their son, Max Brooks, was born in 1972.

Anne and Mel worked together on screen a few times. She danced a tango in his movie Silent Movie (1976) and starred with him in the remake of To Be or Not to Be (1983). They also both appeared in an episode of the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2004. Mel Brooks also produced The Elephant Man (1980), which Anne starred in.

Mel Brooks often said that Anne was the reason he got involved in making the musical versions of his famous movies The Producers and Young Frankenstein. He said that from the day they met, they were "glued together."

Anne's son, Max Brooks, shared that his mother was "a secret, closet scientist." He remembered her reading science books to him as bedtime stories when he was a child.

Later Years and Passing

Anne Bancroft became a grandmother in 2005, shortly before she passed away. Her daughter-in-law gave birth to a boy named Henry Michael Brooks.

Anne Bancroft died on June 6, 2005, at the age of 73, from uterine cancer. Her death was a surprise to many because she was a very private person and had not shared details about her illness. She was buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, near her parents. Her last film, Delgo, was dedicated to her memory.

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Anne Bancroft in the television show Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, 1964

See also

In Spanish: Anne Bancroft para niños