Zoe Caldwell facts for kids

Zoe Caldwell (born September 14, 1933 – died February 16, 2020) was an amazing actress from Australia. She was famous for her work in plays and movies. Zoe won four Tony Awards, which are like the Oscars for live theater!

She won for her roles in plays like Slapstick Tragedy (1966), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1968), Medea (1982), and Master Class (1996). You might also know her voice as the Grand Councilwoman from the Lilo & Stitch movies and TV shows!

Zoe's Early Life

Zoe Caldwell was born in Melbourne, Australia. She grew up in a place called Balwyn. Her dad, Edgar, was a plumber. Zoe's mom often took kids from their neighborhood to the Elizabethan Theatre. There, they could go backstage and watch actors practice and perform. This is how Zoe first fell in love with acting!

Her Acting Career

Zoe started her acting journey in Melbourne in the 1950s. She performed with a new group called the Union Theatre Repertory Company. This company later became the Melbourne Theatre Company.

Moving to England

Later, Zoe moved to England. She was invited to join the famous Royal Shakespeare Company. Many other talented actors were there, like Vanessa Redgrave and Albert Finney. In 1959, she played Bianca in a play called Othello. She also played Helena in All's Well That Ends Well.

Acting in the United States

Zoe's career then took her to the United States. She was one of the first actors at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. There, she played big roles like Ophelia in Hamlet and Natasha in Three Sisters.

Zoe became a life member of the Actors Studio, a special place for actors. She won four Tony Awards for her amazing performances on Broadway. These included plays like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Medea. In the play Master Class, she played a famous opera singer named Maria Callas.

She also acted in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. In 1967, she played Cleopatra in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.

Directing Plays

Zoe didn't just act; she also directed plays! She directed a play called Macbeth on Broadway. She also directed a play called Vita and Virginia that was based on letters between two famous writers, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. In the late 1970s, Zoe directed a Broadway show of Othello with famous actors like James Earl Jones.

Movies and Voice Acting

Zoe also appeared in movies. She was in Woody Allen's film The Purple Rose of Cairo. Kids might know her best as the voice of the Grand Councilwoman in Disney's Lilo & Stitch movie. She continued to voice this character in other Lilo & Stitch films and the TV show Lilo & Stitch: The Series. She also voiced the character in the video game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. In 2011, she was in the movie Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Zoe's Personal Life

Zoe went to Methodist Ladies' College in Melbourne. Later, she received an honorary degree from the University of Melbourne. In 1968, she married a Broadway producer named Robert Whitehead. They had two sons and were married until Robert passed away in 2002.

Awards and Recognition

In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II honored Zoe. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, which is a special award from the British government.

Her Passing

Zoe Caldwell passed away on February 16, 2020, in Pound Ridge, New York. She was 86 years old.

Film and TV Roles

Here are some of the movies and TV shows Zoe Caldwell was in:

Film

Television

Theatre Performances

Here are some of the plays Zoe Caldwell performed in:

Video Games

Zoe Caldwell also lent her voice to video games: