Tammy Grimes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tammy Grimes
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Grimes in 1966
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| Born |
Tammy Lee Grimes
January 30, 1934 Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | October 30, 2016 (aged 82) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1952–2016 |
| Spouse(s) |
Jeremy Slate
(m. 1966; div. 1967)Richard Bell
(m. 1971; died 2005) |
| Children | Amanda Plummer |
Tammy Lee Grimes (born January 30, 1934 – died October 30, 2016) was an American actress and singer. She was famous for her work in movies and on stage.
Tammy Grimes won two Tony Awards, which are big awards for theater. She won her first Tony for playing Molly Tobin in the musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Her second Tony was for her role as Amanda Prynne in a 1970 show called Private Lives. Her former husband, Christopher Plummer, and their daughter, Amanda Plummer, also won Tony Awards.
She created the role of Diana in the Broadway play California Suite. She also played Elmire in the 1978 Broadway and TV show Tartuffe. Tammy Grimes was known for her roles in plays by Noël Coward, like Elvira in High Spirits. In 1966, she had her own TV show, The Tammy Grimes Show. She also performed in cabaret shows, singing and telling stories. In 2003, she was honored in the American Theater Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Education
Tammy Grimes was born on January 30, 1934, in Lynn, Massachusetts. Her mother, Eola Willard, was a naturalist. Her father, Luther Nichols Grimes, managed inns and farms.
She went to high school at Beaver Country Day School. Then she studied at Stephens College. She learned acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. She also took singing lessons from Beverley Peck Johnson.
A Career on Stage and Screen
Tammy Grimes was known for her unique speaking voice. She first performed on the New York stage in May 1955. This was in a play called Jonah and the Whale.
She made her first appearance on Broadway in June 1955. She was an understudy for the main actress in the play Bus Stop. In 1956, she was in an off-Broadway show called The Littlest Revue. In 1959, she got a main role in Noël Coward's play Look After Lulu!. The playwright discovered her singing in a nightclub.
In 1960, she starred in the musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She won a Tony Award for her role. She played Molly Brown, a rich woman from the West who survived the sinking of the Titanic. The New York Times praised her lively performance. She also appeared on TV shows like Mr. Broadway and Route 66.
In 1960, Tammy Grimes sang as Mehitabel in a TV version of the musical Archy and Mehitabel. She was first offered a role in the TV show Bewitched. But she chose to star in her own show instead.
In 1964, she returned to Broadway in High Spirits. This was a musical based on Noël Coward's play Blithe Spirit.
In 1966, Tammy Grimes starred in her own ABC TV series. It was called The Tammy Grimes Show. She played a rich woman who loved to spend money. The show did not get good reviews and ended after only a month.
After performing in other shows, she returned to Broadway in 1969. She starred in a new version of Noël Coward's Private Lives as Amanda. She won another Tony Award for Best Actress. A critic from The New York Times said her performance was "outrageously appealing."
Tammy Grimes was part of the Stratford Festival in Canada in 1956. She returned in 1982 to play Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit. She also performed in nightclubs in New York City. She recorded several music albums. In 1982, she hosted the last season of CBS Radio Mystery Theater. In 1983, she was removed from a play because she had trouble learning her lines.
In 1974, she voiced Albert, a mouse, in the Christmas TV special Twas the Night Before Christmas. She also voiced Molly Grue in the 1982 movie The Last Unicorn. In 1980, she starred in the original Broadway show 42nd Street. In 2003, she was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
In 2003, the Noël Coward Society invited her to place flowers on his statue in New York. This celebrated his 104th birthday. In 2004, she joined a show called Tasting Memories. In 2005, she voiced a tribute for UNICEF. She returned to cabaret in 2007 with a popular one-woman show.
Personal Life
Tammy Grimes married Christopher Plummer on August 16, 1956. They had a daughter, actress Amanda Plummer. They divorced in 1960.
Her second husband was actor Jeremy Slate. They married in 1966 and divorced a year later. Her third husband was composer Richard Bell. They stayed married until he died in 2005.
In 1965, Tammy Grimes was attacked twice in New York City. Reports said the attacks were related to her work with black entertainers. She had also appeared in public with Sammy Davis, Jr..
Death
Tammy Grimes died on October 30, 2016, in Englewood, New Jersey. She was 82 years old and passed away from natural causes. She is survived by her brother Nick and her daughter Amanda.
Awards and Honors
- Obie Award for Best Actress – Clerambard (1958)
- Theatre World Award – Look After Lulu (1959)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical – The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1961)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play – Private Lives (1970)
- Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame (2003)
Discography
Tammy Grimes released several albums and singles. Her first solo album was Julius Monk presents Tammy Grimes (1959). She also recorded two albums for Columbia Records in the early 1960s.
She is featured on cast recordings for musicals like The Littlest Revue, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, High Spirits, and 42nd Street.
She narrated the American radio broadcast of The Lord of the Rings in 1981. In 1975, she recorded an album of children's stories called Hurray for Captain Jane!.
Work in Film and Stage
Filmography
- Three Bites of the Apple (1967) – Angela Sparrow
- Arthur? Arthur! (1969) – Lady Joan Mellon
- Play It as It Lays (1972) – Helene
- The Horror at 37,000 Feet (1973, TV Movie) – Mrs. Pinder
- The Borrowers (1973, TV Movie) – Homily Clock
- Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978) – Audrey Van Santen
- The Runner Stumbles (1979) – Erna Webber
- Can't Stop the Music (1980) – Sydney Channing
- The Last Unicorn (1982) – Molly Grue (voice)
- The Stuff (1985) – Special Guest Star in Stuff Commercial
- America (1986) – Joy Hackley
- Mr. North (1988) – Sarah Baily-Lewis
- Slaves of New York (1989) – Georgette
- Backstreet Justice (1994) – Mrs. Finnegan
- A Modern Affair (1995) – Dr. Gresham
- Trouble on the Corner (1997) – Mrs. K
- High Art (1998) – Vera
- My Little Pony Escape from Katrina (1985) – Katrina
Stage Performances
- The Littlest Revue (1956)
- Look After Lulu (1959)
- The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960)
- Rattle of a Simple Man (1963)
- High Spirits (1964)
- The Only Game in Town (1968)
- Private Lives (revival) (1969)
- A Musical Jubilee (1975)
- California Suite (1976)
- Tartuffe (revival)(1977)
- Trick (1979)
- 42nd Street (1980)
- Sunset (1983)
- Orpheus Descending (revival) (1989)
- Wit & Wisdom (2003)
See also
In Spanish: Tammy Grimes para niños
