Tony-winning actress Elizabeth Wilson died on May 9 in New Haven. The actress was 94., best known for her iconic role in 1967 film "The Graduate," which also starred Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross.
The news of the star's death was confirmed by Elizabeth Morton, a close friend whom the actress considered her daughter. Wilson is survived by her sister with whom she lived in Connecticut during her last days.
Born on April 4, 1921, in Grand Rapids, Wilson started her career at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, where she met the actor Fritz Weaver, with whom she had a brief romance. She debuted in theatre world with the role of a spinster schoolteacher in "Picnic" in 1953.
After appearing in a handful of Broadway shows, Wilson debuted in the movies in 1955 with the on-screen adaptation of "Picnic." Her most memorable roles remain the one of bitter personal secretary of a doomed movie star in "The Goddess" and a dowdy waitress in the Alfred Hitchcock classic "The Birds."
Impressed by acting skills, Mike Nicholas directed her in several other movies including "Catch 22," "The Day of the Dolphin" and "Regarding Henry." The late actress also grabbed a Tony Award for her performance in 1972's play, "Stick and Bones."
"I had no desire to be a star," USA Today quoted the actress from a recent interview. "I wanted to be a character actress and be able to do all kinds of parts and work on a lot of things."
New York Times reported that apparently due to her overwhelming appearance and mannerism, the actress was given the role of mothers since an early stage of her career.
Be it an emotionally wounded mother in "Stick and Bones" or befuddled mother of Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate," the actress managed to play the role quite well, owing to her extreme capability of projecting snobbery, sadness and a winning eccentricity with same ease.
Ironically, the actress had no child and was never married, though she had admitedly "met a lot of interesting gentlemen in the work situation." The actress claimed that since after marriage, a woman was expected to quit working and raise a family, she decided not to marry and settle down.