Heckart, Eileen (1919–2001)
Heckart, Eileen (1919–2001)
American stage, tv and screen actress. Born Anna Eckart Herbert, Mar 29, 1919, in Columbus, Ohio; died Dec 31, 2001, in Norwalk, Connecticut; m. John Harrison Yankee Jr., 1944 (died 1997); children: 3.
Made NY debut in Tinker's Dam (1943), followed by Hilda Crane, In Any Language, A View from the Bridge, A Memory of Two Mondays, Invitation to a March, the title role in Everybody Loves Opal, and one-woman show Eleanor, in which she portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt; made film debut in Miracle in the Rain (1955); other films include Bus Stop, Hot Spell, Heller in Pink Tights, Up the Down Staircase, The Hiding Place and The First Wives Club; on tv, played the aunt on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," among others. Won Outer Circle Award for Picnic (1953), Donaldson Award for The Bad Seed (1954), NY Drama Critics Award for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957), and was granted a special Tony for lifetime achievement (2000); won Emmy for "Save Me a Place at Forest Lawn" (1967), an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for Butterflies Are Free (1972); nominated for an Oscar for The Bad Seed (1956) and nominated for 3 other Tony awards.