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Photo of Constance Cummings

Constance Cummings

Actor
Born May 15, 1910Died November 23, 2005 (95 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Constance Cummings, CBE (May 15, 1910 – November 23, 2005) was an American-born British actress, known for her work on both screen and stage.

Born Constance Halverstadt in Seattle, Washington to Dallas Halverstadt and Kate Cummings, she began as a stage actress, landing her first role on Broadway by the age of 18. While appearing on Broadway, she was discovered by Sam Goldwyn, who brought her to Hollywood in 1931.

Between 1931 and 1934, Cummings appeared in 21 films, most notably the Harold Lloyd picture Movie Crazy and American Madness, directed by Frank Capra. She was married to the playwright and screenwriter Benn Levy MBE from 1933 until his death in 1973. Levy went on to write and direct films for Cummings, such as The Jealous God (1939); he also served in the United Kingdom Parliament from 1945-50 as the Labour MP for Eton and Slough. They had a son and a daughter.

Cummings was uncomfortable in Hollywood and moved to England, where she continued acting, both in movies and on the stage. Few of these films became popular in America, although included amongst those that did is Blithe Spirit, adapted from a play by Sir Noël Coward.

In 1974, Cummings, who resided in the UK for many decades, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the British entertainment industry.

She played Mary Tyrone in the Royal National Theatre's production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night opposite Sir Laurence Olivier, to great acclaim. She later recreated the role for a television version. In 1979, she won a Tony Award for Best Actress for her performance in the role in the play Wings (written by Arthur Kopit) of Emily Stilson, a former aviator who has suffered a stroke, from which she struggles to recover.

She was a committee member of the Royal Court Theatre and the Arts Council. Despite her truncated career in the U.S., she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6211 Hollywood Blvd.

Constance Cummings Levy died on November 23, 2005 at the age of 95.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Constance Cummings, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • Blithe Spirit

Known For

  • Blithe Spirit
  • Movie Crazy
  • Dead Man's Folly
  • Night After Night
  • American Madness
  • The Battle of the Sexes
  • The Criminal Code
  • The Mind Reader
  • Finger of Guilt
  • Doomed Cargo
  • In the Cool of the Day
  • John and Julie

Filmography

1986
Dead Man's Folly · as Amy Folliatt
1980
American Playhouse (TV Series) · as Emily Stilson
1969
ITV Saturday Night Theatre (TV Series) · as Mary Tyrone
1967
ITV Playhouse (TV Series) · as Liza Foote
1963
In the Cool of the Day · as Mrs. Nina Gellert
1963
A Boy Ten Feet Tall · as Gloria Van Imhoff
1962
World of Comedy · as (archive Footage)
1960
The Battle of the Sexes · as Angela Barrows
1960
BBC Sunday-Night Play (TV Series) · as Ruth Anipas
1956
Armchair Theatre (TV Series) · as Helga
1956
Finger of Guilt · as Kay Wallace
1955
Screen Directors Playhouse (TV Series) · as Louisa Pallant
1955
ITV Play of the Week (TV Series) · as Margaret Lester
1955
ITV Television Playhouse (TV Series) · as Jane Pugh
1955
John and Julie · as Mrs. Davidson
1953
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Presents (TV Series) · as Julia Selincourt
1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (TV Series) · as Madge Haley
1950
Man in the Dinghy · as Kate Fergusson
1950
The Lux Video Theatre (TV Series) · as Intermission Guest
1950
Sunday Night Theatre (TV Series) · as Joan
1945
Blithe Spirit · as Ruth Condomine
1942
Somewhere in France · as Anne Stafford
1941
This England · as Ann
1940
Haunted Honeymoon · as Harriet Vane
1936
Doomed Cargo · as Caryl Fenton
1935
Remember Last Night? · as Carlotta Milburn
1934
This Man Is Mine · as Francesca Harper
1934
Glamour · as Linda Fayne
1934
Looking for Trouble · as Ethel Greenwood
1933
Broadway Thru a Keyhole · as Joan Whelan
1933
Channel Crossing · as Marion Slade
1933
The Mind Reader · as Sylvia
1932
Night After Night · as Miss Jerry Healy
1932
Washington Merry-Go-Round · as Alice Wylie
1932
Movie Crazy · as Mary Sears
1932
American Madness · as Helen
1932
Attorney for the Defense · as Ruth Barry
1932
The Big Timer · as Honey Baldwin
1932
Behind the Mask · as Julie Arnold
1931
The Guilty Generation · as Maria Palmero
1931
Traveling Husbands · as Ellen Wilson
1931
The Criminal Code · as Mary Brady

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