Madeleine Sherwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Madeleine Sherwood
Sherwood in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Born	Madeleine Louise Hélène Thornton (1922-11-13)November 13, 1922 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	April 23, 2016(2016-04-23) (aged 93) Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1933–1993
Spouse(s)	Robert Sherwood ​ ​ (m. 1940, divorced)​
Children	1

Madeleine Sherwood (born Madeleine Louise Hélène Thornton; November 13, 1922 – April 23, 2016) was a talented Canadian actress. She was famous for her roles on stage, in movies, and on television. Many people knew her as Mae/Sister Woman and Miss Lucy in the plays and films Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth. Both were written by Tennessee Williams.

Madeleine Sherwood appeared in 18 original Broadway shows. These included popular plays like Arturo Ui, Do I Hear a Waltz?, and The Crucible. In 1963, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress. This award was for her amazing performance in the play Hey You, Light Man! off-Broadway. On television, she is best remembered for playing Reverend Mother Placido. She acted alongside Sally Field in the comedy series The Flying Nun (1967–70).

Early Life and Acting Beginnings

Madeleine Sherwood was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her grandfather was a Dean of Dentistry at McGill University. She first performed on stage when she was only four years old. This was in a church play called a Passion Play.

She began her professional acting career in Montreal. Rupert Kaplan cast her in dramas and soap operas for the CBC.

Madeleine Sherwood's Acting Career

In 1950, Madeleine Sherwood moved to New York City. She made her first appearance on Broadway in a play called The Chase. She took over a role from another actress, Kim Stanley. In 1953, she created the role of Abigail in Arthur Miller's famous play, The Crucible.

The well-known director Elia Kazan chose her for important roles. She played Mae/Sister Woman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1954). She also played Miss Lucy in Sweet Bird of Youth (1959). Both of these plays were by Tennessee Williams. She later played these same roles in the movie versions of the plays. In 1957, she became a member of the Actors Studio. There, she worked with Lee Strasberg and was a member for life.

Sherwood also appeared in many television soap operas. She was on Guiding Light as Mrs. Eilers. She also played Carmen, a diner owner, on The Secret Storm. She had small roles on All My Children and Another World. She even returned to Guiding Light for a short time. Her role as Reverend Mother Placido in The Flying Nun was one of her most famous TV parts.

Madeleine Sherwood's Personal Life

During the McCarthy era, Madeleine Sherwood faced difficulties in her career. This was a time when some people were unfairly accused of being disloyal to the United States.

She was very active in the civil rights movement. This movement worked for equal rights for all people. She worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in the late 1950s and 1960s. She traveled south to join the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). In 1965, she was arrested while taking part in a Freedom Walk in Gadsden, Alabama. She was jailed and sentenced to six months of hard labor. This was for "Endangering the Customs and Mores of the People of Alabama."

In the 1980s, she received a special grant. This was from the American Film Institute. She was one of the first women to direct short films for this organization. Other famous actresses like Cicely Tyson and Joanne Woodward also received this grant. Madeleine Sherwood wrote, directed, and acted in her own film, Good Night, Sweet Prince. This film received excellent reviews.

In the early 1990s, she moved back to Canada. She settled in Victoria, British Columbia, and Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec. Even though she lived in the United States for a long time, she always remained a Canadian citizen. She was also a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers).

Death of Madeleine Sherwood

Madeleine Sherwood passed away on April 23, 2016. She died at her childhood home in Lac Cornu, Quebec. The cause of her death was not shared. She was survived by her daughter.

Madeleine Sherwood's Broadway Plays

• The Chase
• The Crucible
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
• Sweet Bird of Youth
• The Night of the Iguana (she took over the role from Bette Davis)
• Invitation to a March
• Arturo Ui
• Do I Hear a Waltz?
• Inadmissible Evidence
• All Over

Madeleine Sherwood's Off-Broadway Plays

• Getting Out
• Hey You, Light Man
• Brecht on Becket
• Older People (at Joseph Papp’s Public Theater)

Selected Film and Television Roles

• Baby Doll (1956) as Nurse in Doctor's Office (uncredited)
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) as Mae Flynn Pollitt
• Parrish (1961) as Addie
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961, Episode: "Make My Death Bed") as Jackie Darby
• Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) as Miss Lucy
• In the Cool of the Day (1963) as Party Hostess (uncredited)
• The Fugitive (1963, Season 1, Episode 2: "The Witch") as Mrs Ammory
• The Edge of Night (1964, TV Series) as Ann Kelly #1
• The Fugitive (1964, Season 2, Episode 14: "Devil's Carnival") as Mary Beth Thompson
• Hurry Sundown (1967) as Eula Purcell
• The Flying Nun (1967–1970, TV Series) as Reverend Mother Superior Placido
• Pendulum (1969) as Eileen Sanderson
• The Guiding Light (1970–1971, TV Series) as Betty Eiler
• The Manhunter (1972, TV Movie) as Ma Bocock
• The Secret Storm (1972–1973, TV Series) as Carmen
• Wicked, Wicked (1973) as Lenore Karadyne
• Columbo (1974, TV Series) as Miss Brady
• Rich Man, Poor Man Book II (1976, TV Series) as Mrs. Hunt
• The Changeling (1980) as Mrs. Norman
• One Life to Live (1980) as Bridget Leander
• Resurrection (1980) as Ruth
• The Electric Grandmother (1982, TV Movie) as Aunt Clara
• Teachers (1984) as Grace
• Nobody's Child (1986, TV Movie) as Nurse Rhonda
• The Morning Man (1986)
• Silence Like Glass (1989) as Grandmother
• An Unremarkable Life (1989) as Louise

See also

In Spanish: Madeleine Sherwood para niños