Geraldine Page facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Geraldine Page
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Page in 1956
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| Born |
Geraldine Sue Page
November 22, 1924 Kirksville, Missouri, U.S.
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| Died | June 13, 1987 (aged 62) New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Art Institute of Chicago (BFA) |
| Years active | 1945–1987 |
| Spouse(s) |
Alexander Schneider
(m. 1954; div. 1957) |
| Children | 3, including Angelica Page |
Geraldine Sue Page (born November 22, 1924 – died June 13, 1987) was a famous American actress. She had a long career that lasted over 40 years in movies, on stage, and on TV. Geraldine Page won many important awards, including an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA), two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. She was also nominated four times for the Tony Award, which is a top award for theater actors.
Geraldine was born in Kirksville, Missouri. She studied acting in New York City with famous teachers like Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg. Her first big movie role was in the Western film Hondo (1953), which earned her an Oscar nomination. For a while, she couldn't work in Hollywood because of something called the Hollywood blacklist, which affected many people in the entertainment industry during the McCarthyism era. But she kept acting on TV and in plays.
She won a Golden Globe Award for her role in the movie Sweet Bird of Youth (1962). She also received more Oscar nominations for movies like Summer and Smoke (1961) and Pete 'n' Tillie (1972). Later, she voiced Madam Medusa in Walt Disney's animated film The Rescuers (1977). She won a BAFTA Award for her acting in Woody Allen's movie Interiors (1978).
In 1979, she was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame. Geraldine Page finally won her first Oscar for Best Actress for her role in The Trip to Bountiful (1985). She passed away in New York City in 1987 while still performing in a Broadway play called Blithe Spirit.
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Early Life and Education
Geraldine Page was born on November 22, 1924, in Kirksville, Missouri. Her parents were Edna Pearl and Leon Elwin Page. Her father was an author who wrote books about anatomy and osteopathy. Geraldine had one older brother named Donald.
When she was five years old, her family moved to Chicago. She grew up in the Methodist church and first started acting in the church's theater group. In 1941, she played Jo March in a play based on Louisa May Alcott's book Little Women. After finishing high school, she went to the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago. She originally thought about becoming a visual artist or a pianist.
After graduating in 1945, Geraldine moved to New York City to study acting. She learned from famous teachers like Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg. To support herself while trying to become an actress, she worked many different jobs. She was a hat-check girl, a theater usher, and even a lingerie model.
Acting Career Highlights
Geraldine Page was a method actor, which means she deeply understood and became her characters. She spent five years acting in different theater shows across the Midwest and New York. Her first New York stage appearance was in a play called Seven Mirrors in 1945. In 1952, she gained a lot of attention for her role as Alma in the play Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams. This role earned her a Drama Desk Award.
Her first credited movie role was in Hondo (1953), where she acted alongside John Wayne. This role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. However, after Hondo, she was unable to work in Hollywood movies for almost ten years. This was because of the Hollywood blacklist, which affected many actors who were thought to have certain political connections.
Despite this, she continued to shine on Broadway. She starred in plays like The Rainmaker (1954) and The Immoralist (1954), where she acted with James Dean. She and Dean became good friends.
In 1959, Geraldine Page received an Emmy nomination for her role in a TV show called "The Old Man." She then earned great praise for her performance in the Broadway play Sweet Bird of Youth (1959–1960), where she acted with Paul Newman. She played a famous Hollywood star trying to overcome her fears. For this role, she received her first Tony Award nomination. She and Paul Newman also starred in the movie version of Sweet Bird of Youth in 1962, which earned her another Oscar nomination.
Geraldine Page won two Golden Globe Awards in a row for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. She won in 1961 for Summer and Smoke and in 1962 for Sweet Bird of Youth.
In the 1960s, she continued to appear in many films and TV shows. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Toys in the Attic (1963). She also starred in Dear Heart (1964) as a lonely postmistress who finds love. In 1964, she was in a Broadway play called Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov.
Between 1966 and 1969, Geraldine Page won two Emmy Awards for her roles in TV productions based on stories by Truman Capote: "The Christmas Memory" and The Thanksgiving Visitor. In 1967, she appeared on Broadway in Black Comedy/White Lies and in the Walt Disney musical The Happiest Millionaire.
Later Career and Oscar Win
Geraldine Page starred with Ruth Gordon in the thriller What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969). In this movie, she played a widow who murders housekeepers to steal their money. Critics praised her performance.
She also appeared in the thriller The Beguiled (1971) with Clint Eastwood. The director, Don Siegel, said she was one of the best actors he had ever worked with. She then had a supporting role in the comedy Pete 'n' Tillie (1972), which earned her another Oscar nomination. In 1975, she was in The Day of the Locust, playing a Hollywood evangelist. In 1977, she voiced Madame Medusa in the popular Walt Disney animated movie The Rescuers.
Page played the mother of three siblings in Woody Allen's movie Interiors (1978). For this role, she was nominated for an Oscar and won a BAFTA Award. In November 1979, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame for her amazing work on stage.
In the 1980s, Geraldine Page continued to be very active in theater. She starred in the Broadway play Agnes of God (1982), playing a secretive nun. For this role, she received another Tony Award nomination. She also helped found the Mirror Theater Ltd, a classic theater company, and became its Founding Artist in Residence.
She earned her seventh Oscar nomination for her role in the movie The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984). At that time, she held the record for the most Oscar nominations without a win. On TV, she appeared in the miniseries The Dollmaker (1984) with Jane Fonda.
In 1985, she starred in The Trip to Bountiful, playing an older woman from Texas who wants to return to her hometown. Her performance was highly praised, with the Los Angeles Times calling it "the performance of a lifetime."
In 1986, while performing in the play The Circle on Broadway, Geraldine Page finally won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Trip to Bountiful. She thanked The Mirror Theater Ltd in her acceptance speech. She was very happy to win after so many nominations!
After winning the Oscar, she continued acting in movies like Native Son (1986) and My Little Girl (1987). Her last role was in the Broadway play Blithe Spirit in 1986, for which she received her fourth Tony Award nomination.
Personal Life
Geraldine Page was married to violinist Alexander Schneider from 1954 to 1957. On September 8, 1963, she married actor Rip Torn. They had acted together in Sweet Bird of Youth on Broadway and in the movie. They had three children: a daughter named Angelica Page, who also became an actress, and twin sons, Anthony and Jonathan.
Geraldine and Rip remained married until her death. Their daughter described their relationship as still "close" even when they lived separately. Geraldine Page loved food and once joked, "Greedy gut is my middle name...Rip is wonderful. He does the cooking and I do the eating. I love everything but eggplant."
Death
On June 13, 1987, Geraldine Page did not show up for her performances in the play Blithe Spirit. She was later found to have passed away in her home in Manhattan. It was determined that she died from a heart attack.
A memorial service was held for her on June 18, with many friends, colleagues, and fans attending. Her husband, Rip Torn, spoke lovingly about her, calling her "Mi corazon, mi alma, mi esposa" (My heart, my soul, my wife) and saying they "never stopped being lovers." Geraldine Page was cremated.
Filmography
Accolades
Geraldine Page received seven Oscar nominations before finally winning her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1986 for The Trip to Bountiful. She also won two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and one BAFTA award.
For her work on Broadway, Geraldine Page was nominated for a Tony Award four times. The New York Daily News called her "one of the finest stage actors of her generation." She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1979, recognizing her important contributions to theater.
See also
In Spanish: Geraldine Page para niños
