Thompson, Sada (1929–)

American actress. Born Sept 27, 1929, in Des Moines, Iowa; dau. of Hugh Woodruff and Corlyss Elizabeth (Gibson) Thompson; attended Carnegie Institute of Technology; m. Donald E. Stewart.

Made professional stage debut at University Playhouse, Mashpee, Massachusetts, as Harmony Blue-blossom in The Beautiful People (1947); made 1st tv appearance on "Goodyear TV Playhouse" (1951); made New York debut (1953); appeared in 1st film, You Are Not Alone (1961); appeared in best-known stage role, as Beatrice in Paul Zindel's The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1970); had 4-character part in Twigs (1971), which brought her a Tony Award for Best Actress (1971); appeared as Mary Todd Lincoln in tv miniseries "Sandburg's Lincoln," for which she was nominated for an Emmy (1976); received 2nd Emmy nomination for performance in "The Entertainer" (1976); appeared as matriarch Kate Lawrence in "Family" (1976), winning Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1978); guest-starred on comedy series "Cheers" (1991), for which she was again nominated for an Emmy; starred in 15 made-for-tv movies and miniseries, most notably in "Our Town" (1977), "Alex Haley's Queen" (1993), "Any Mother's Son" (1997) and "Indictment: The McMartin Trial" (1995), which brought her her 6th Emmy Award nomination; also appeared in the San Diego Globe production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, broadcast live on PBS (Dec 1982).

See also Women in World History.