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‘Mary Poppins’ Actress Glynis Johns Dead at 100 After 9 Remarkable Decades Working in Hollywood
Glynis Johns, known for portraying Mrs. Banks in 1964’s Mary Poppins, has died at age 100. Her manager, Mitch Clem, confirmed the news to multiple outlets on Thursday, January 4.
“Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives,” Clem said in a statement. “She entered my life early in my career and set a very high bar on how to navigate this industry with grace, class and truth.”
He continued, “Today’s a sad day for Hollywood,” adding, “She is the last of the last of old Hollywood.”
Johns began her acting career when she was just a child, joining several stage productions as a dancer and singer. She made her film debut in 1938’s South Riding when she was 15 years old. One of her biggest roles came in 1961’s The Sundowners, for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
In 1963, Johns earned a Golden Globe nomination for her work in The Chapman Report. The following year, she shared the screen with Julie Andrews, David Tomlinson and Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. In addition to her memorable role in the Disney musical, Johns landed her own comedy series, Glynis, in 1963.
The Batman alum continued to snag roles in films and on television in the decades that followed her Mary Poppins fame, including an arc on the sitcom Coming of Age. She also starred in the Broadway adaptation of A Little Night Music, earning a Tony Award for her portrayal.
“I got applause for that. I loved doing it. I felt it,” Johns told Eyewitness News of performing in front of the crowd in October 2023.
The stage veteran showed no signs of slowing down in her Hollywood career.
“I’ve retired many times. My personal life has come before my work. The theater is just part of my life,” she told the Associated Press in 1990. “It probably uses my highest sense of intelligence, so therefore I have to come back to it to realize that I’ve got the talent. I’m not as good doing anything else.”
In October 2023, Johns celebrated her milestone 100th birthday. “It doesn’t make any difference to me,” the Tony winner reflected on aging. “I’ve looked good at every age.”
Throughout her Hollywood career, Johns was married and divorced four times. She welcomed one child, Gareth Forwood, with her first husband, Anthony Forwood, in 1945. Gareth died in 2007 from cancer.
