Blythe Danner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blythe Danner
Danner in 2010
Born	Blythe Katherine Danner (1943-02-03) February 3, 1943 (age 82) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	Bard College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1965–present
Spouse(s)	Bruce Paltrow ​ ​ (m. 1969; died 2002)​
Children	Gwyneth Paltrow Jake Paltrow
Relatives	Harry Danner (brother) Katherine Moennig (niece) Apple Martin (granddaughter)

Blythe Katherine Danner (born February 3, 1943) is a famous American actress. She has won many awards for her acting. These include two Primetime Emmy Awards for her role as Izzy Huffstodt in the TV show Huff (2004–2006). She also won a Tony Award for her part in the play Butterflies Are Free on Broadway (1969–1972).

Blythe Danner was also nominated for Emmy Awards for playing Marilyn Truman in the popular show Will & Grace (2001–06; 2018–20). She also received nominations for her roles in TV movies like We Were the Mulvaneys (2002) and Back When We Were Grownups (2004). For Back When We Were Grownups, she was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

You might know Danner from her role as Dina Byrnes in the comedy movie Meet the Parents (2000). She also appeared in its sequels, Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010). She has worked with director Woody Allen in three of his films: Another Woman (1988), Alice (1990), and Husbands and Wives (1992).

Her other well-known movies include 1776 (1972), The Great Santini (1979), The Prince of Tides (1991), and The X-Files (1998). She is the sister of Harry Danner and was married to producer Bruce Paltrow. Her children are actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow. She is also the grandmother of Apple Martin.

Early Life

Blythe Danner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 3, 1943. Her mother was Katharine Kile and her father was Harry Earl Danner, who worked at a bank. She has a brother, Harry Danner, who is an opera singer and actor. She also has a sister and a half-brother.

Blythe Danner's family background includes Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, and some English and Irish roots. Her grandmother on her mother's side was from Germany. One of her great-grandmothers on her father's side was born in Barbados. Danner finished high school at George School in Pennsylvania in 1960.

Acting Career

Blythe Danner studied at Bard College. Her first acting roles were in the 1967 musical Mata Hari and an Off-Broadway play called Summertree in 1968. She appeared on Broadway in plays like Cyrano de Bergerac (1968) and The Miser (1969). She won a Theatre World Award for her performance in The Miser.

Danner in 1980

In 1970, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as a free-spirited divorcée in Butterflies Are Free. In 1972, Danner played Martha Jefferson in the movie 1776. That same year, she was in an episode of the TV show Columbo called "Étude in Black."

Her first main role in a film was with Alan Alda in To Kill a Clown (1972). She also appeared with Alan Alda in an episode of M*A*S*H called "The More I See You." She played a lawyer named Amanda Bonner in the TV show Adam's Rib. Danner also played Zelda Fitzgerald in a 1974 TV movie.

She starred in the movie Lovin' Molly (1974) and the science fiction film Futureworld (1976). In 1982, she played the wife of Albert Speer in the TV movie Inside the Third Reich. She also appeared in the film Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986). Danner has been in movies based on books by Pat Conroy, like The Great Santini (1979) and The Prince of Tides (1991).

Danner at the Metropolitan Opera opening, September 22, 2008

From 2001 to 2006, she was a regular on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, playing Will Truman's mother, Marilyn. From 2004 to 2006, she was a main character in the TV series Huff. In 2005, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and won for her role in Huff. She won another Emmy for Huff the next year.

Blythe Danner has performed for 25 years at the Williamstown Summer Theater Festival. She is also on the board of directors there. In 2006, she received the first Katharine Hepburn Medal. In 2015, Danner was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Environmental Work

Blythe Danner has been involved in protecting the environment for over 30 years. She supports causes like recycling and conservation. She is part of groups like INFORM, Inc. and the Environmental Advocates of New York. She is also on the board of directors for the Environmental Media Association. In 2002, she won an award for her ongoing commitment to environmental causes. In 2011, Danner joined Moms Clean Air Force to help fight against air pollution.

Health Activism

After her husband, Bruce Paltrow, passed away from oral cancer, Blythe Danner started working with the Oral Cancer Foundation. In 2005, she made a public service announcement to teach people about the disease and why it's important to find it early. She has also appeared on TV shows and in magazines like People to talk about it. The Bruce Paltrow Oral Cancer Fund helps raise money for research and treatment of oral cancer.

She has also appeared in commercials for Prolia, a medicine used to treat osteoporosis, which is a condition that makes bones weak.

Personal Life

Blythe Danner was married to producer and director Bruce Paltrow. He passed away from oral cancer in 2002. They had two children together: actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.

Blythe Danner's niece is the actress Katherine Moennig. Katherine is the daughter of Blythe's maternal half-brother, William.

Danner acted with her daughter Gwyneth in the 1992 TV movie Cruel Doubt. They also acted together in the 2003 film Sylvia. In that movie, Blythe played Aurelia Plath, who was the mother of Sylvia Plath, played by Gwyneth.

Blythe Danner practices transcendental meditation. She has said that it is "very helpful and comforting" for her.

Acting Roles

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Blythe Danner para niños