British actor Glynis Johns, known for her role as Mrs. Banks in "Mary Poppins," has died at age 100.
Johns’ longtime manager Mitch Clem confirmed the news to CNN, noting she died "peacefully" Thursday morning in Los Angeles at an assisted living home, where she had lived for several years.
A cause of death has not yet been determined.
"Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives," Clem said. "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."
Born in South Africa and raised in the United Kingdom, Johns’ career spanned nearly nine decades.
She was a teenager when she landed her first film role in the 1938 romantic drama "South Riding," which paved the way for a string of Hollywood films and TV shows throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
Her big break, however, came in 1960 when she was cast as Mrs. Firth in the five-time Oscar-nominated film "The Sundowners" alongside Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum. The role earned Johns an Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Four years later, Johns landed the career-defining role of Mrs. Banks, an upbeat feminist character, in Disney's 1964 classic, "Mary Poppins," which also starred Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and David Tomlinson.
Off-screen, Johns built her career upon the role of Desiree Armfeldt in the original 1973 Broadway show "A Little Night Music," earning a Tony Award for her performance of the famous song "Send In the Clowns."
During the 1980s and 1990s, she appeared in various TV series and movies including "Coming of Age" (1988), "The Ref" (1994), "While You Were Sleeping" (1995), and "Superstar" (1999).
Johns celebrated her 100th birthday in October.
"Her light shined very brightly for 100 years," Clem said in his statement Thursday. "She had a wit that could stop you in your tracks powered by a heart that loved deeply and purely."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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