Best known for her role in the famous play A Streetcar Named Desire, Claire Bloom began her career as a stage actress. She started out in her hometown of London, taking roles in a wide variety of Shakespeare’s plays. In the early 1950s, Claire was discovered by film star Charlie Chaplin, who specifically chose her to be the leading lady in the 1952 film Limelight. The movie made her into an international film star, and she went on to appear in other films like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Chapman Report, and The Haunting. Claire is still acting today, although she’s taken a break from Hollywood to focus on making British films! Most recently, she played the regal Queen Mary in the critically acclaimed 2010 film The King’s Speech.
Born and raised in London, Angela Lansbury moved to New York City when she was a teenager to pursue a career in acting. Two years later, she relocated to Hollywood and signed a contract with MGM. Incredibly, she never had to take on small roles or commercial jobs to pay the bills. Her very first film was 1944’s Gaslight, and it earned her a nomination for an Academy Award! A year later, she was nominated again for The Picture of Dorian Gray, which also won her a Golden Globe. One of her most critically acclaimed roles came in the 1960s, when she appeared in the film The Manchurian Candidate. Angela moved to television in the 1980s, and many people today will remember her as Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote. These days, she’s still acting despite being in her 90s!
As an actress and singer with six decades of marvelous performances under her belt, Shirley Jones is best known for starring in many famous musicals. She’s began her career by playing sweet, wholesome roles, such as the ones in Oklahoma!, Carousel, and The Music Man. However, she decided to change her public image in the 1960s, and took on the role of a vengeful prostitute in Elmer Gantry. It was a good move for her career, as she won an Academy Award for the film! In the 1970s, Shirley moved to television and starred in the series The Partridge Family. Unfortunately, that was her last big role! She’s made a few minor appearances since, but in her personal life she’s a busy mother and grandmother!
Beloved by all generations from the 1960s to today, Dame Maggie Smith is an English actress with an extensive resume of film and television roles spanning more than 60 years. She has given marvelous performances on Broadway and the West End, and some of her more prominent film roles have included Nowhere to Go, Othello, and A Room with a View. She also won over our hearts as the strict Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise, and more recently, as the hilariously dry Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey. Not surprisingly, she’s one of the few actresses to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting: an Academy Award, an Emmy, and a Tony Award. Today, the actress is in her early 80s, but it doesn’t look like she plans to slow down anytime soon!
Known for her beauty and award winning acting, Shirley Knight is looked up to for her versatile ability that shines in both comedic and dramatic films. She’s been acting for almost 60 years, during which time she’s appeared in over 50 films. Some of her best known works include The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, Sweet Bird of Youth, and Dutchman. Shirley has won a Golden Globe and three Emmys, and on top of that she’s been nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, and four Emmys. She was married to the writer John R. Hopkins until he passed away in the late 90s, and the couple had two children together. These days, Shirley is happily living in New York, and still acting. Her most recent role was in the 2015 film Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2!
