Estelle Winwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Estelle Winwood
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Winwood in 1920
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| Born |
Estelle Ruth Goodwin
24 January 1883 Lee, Kent, England
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| Died | 20 June 1984 (aged 101) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1903–1983 |
| Spouse(s) | Arthur Chesney (m. 1907; div. 1928) Francis Barlow Bradley
(m. 1928; died 1929)Robert Barton Henderson
(m. 1944) |
Estelle Winwood (born Estelle Ruth Goodwin, 24 January 1883 – 20 June 1984) was a famous English actress. She moved to the United States during her career. Estelle was known for her clever humor and for living a very long life.
Contents
Becoming an Actress: Early Life and Career
Estelle Ruth Goodwin was born in 1883 in Lee, England. When she was just five years old, she knew she wanted to be an actress. Her mother supported her dream, even though her father did not approve.
Estelle trained at the Lyric Stage Academy in London. She made her first professional acting appearance in Johannesburg at age 20. During the First World War, she joined the Liverpool Repertory Company. After that, she began performing in London's famous West End theaters.
Shining on Stage: Broadway and West End
In 1916, Estelle moved to the U.S. and made her first Broadway appearance in New York City. For many years, she split her time between New York and London.
Theater was always her favorite place to perform. As she got older, she acted more often on Broadway. She starred in many plays, including A Successful Calamity (1917) and A Little Journey (1918). Other popular plays were Spring Cleaning (1923) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1939), which she also directed. She also appeared in When We Are Married (1939) and Lady Windermere's Fan (1947).
From Stage to Screen: Film and Television Roles
Like many stage actors, Estelle Winwood did not like films at first. She turned down movie offers in the 1920s. She finally made her first film, Night Angel, in 1931, but her scenes were cut. Her official film debut was in The House of Trent (1933). Her first important movie role was in Quality Street (1937).
She did not make any movies in the 1940s. However, she was happy to try the new world of television. She starred in a TV show called Blithe Spirit in 1946. In the 1950s, she appeared more on TV than in movies. She was in shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Donna Reed Show. Her films from this time included The Glass Slipper (1955) and The Swan (1956).
Estelle continued acting in many films. These included Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) and The Misfits (1961). She also appeared in The Magic Sword (1962) and The Producers (1967). She later joked that she only did The Producers for the money.
Her television work also included guest roles on many popular shows. She was in Dennis the Menace and The Twilight Zone. She also appeared in Dr. Kildare, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Bewitched. She even had a role in Batman and the last episode of Perry Mason.
Estelle Winwood's last film role was in Murder by Death (1976) when she was 92. She played an old nursemaid in this comedy movie. In 1979, at age 96, she took on her last major TV role in an episode of Quincy. This made her the oldest working actor in the U.S. at that time. She kept acting until she was 100 years old. When she passed away at 101, she was the oldest member in the history of the Screen Actors Guild.
Life Beyond the Stage: Personal Connections
Estelle Winwood was married three times. Her first husband was actor Arthur Chesney in 1907. She later married Francis Barlow Bradley in 1928 and American actor Robert Henderson in 1944. She did not have any children.
Estelle was good friends with actress Tallulah Bankhead. Estelle, Tallulah, and other actresses like Eva Le Gallienne and Blyth Daly were known as "The Four Riders of the Algonquin." This was because they often met at the famous Algonquin Round Table.
In a 1979 interview, when she was 95, Estelle joked about her long life. On her 100th birthday, someone asked how it felt to live so long. She replied, "How rude of you to remind me!" Actress Bette Davis, who worked with Estelle, was photographed with her on her 100th birthday.
Estelle Winwood passed away peacefully in her sleep in California in 1984. She was 101 years old. She was buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
