Knight, Shirley (1936–)

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Knight, Shirley (1936–)

American stage and screen actress. Name variations: Shirley Knight Hopkins. Born July 5, 1936, in Goessel, Kansas; m. Eugene Persson (producer), 1959 (div. 1969); m. John Hopkins (British dramatist), 1970 (died 1998); children: Sophie Hopkins and Kaitlan Hopkins (b. 1964, actress).

Made NY stage debut in Journey to the Day (1963), followed by The Three Sisters, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Watering Place; made film debut in Five Gates to Hell (1959); other films include Ice Palace, House of Women, The Group, Petulia, The Rain People, Secrets, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and Someone is Waiting; appeared on BBC-TV, mostly in husband John Hopkins' plays. Nominated for Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960) and Sweet Bird of Youth (1962); won Volpi Prize as Best Actress at Venice Film Festival (1967) for performance in husband Gene Persson's Dutchman; won Tony award for Kennedy's Children (1975) and Emmy for recurring role as Mel Harris' mother on "thirtysomething" (1988).

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Knight, Shirley (1936–)

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