Description:
Glynis Johns was the daughter of actor Mervyn Johns. Best known for her light comedy roles and often playful flirtation, Glynis was born in South Africa while her parents were on tour there (her mother was a concert pianist) but was always proud of her Welsh roots and took delight in playing the female lead (opposite Richard Burton) in the classic Under Milk Wood (1971). She was probably best known for her role as the suffragette mother in Mary Poppins (1964) although she is probably best loved for her fishy roles in Miranda (1948) and Mad About Men (1954). She had earlier showed she could take on the serious roles as well as in Frieda (1947). Most recently seen (at the time of writing) in Superstar (1999). Johns died in 2024, aged 100, having never received the damehood she had richly deserved for decades. Predeceased by her only son, she was survived by a grandson,Thomas Forwood, and three great-grandchildren.
Birthday
October 5, 1923
Born In
Pretoria, South Africa
Alternative names
Glynnis Johns
, Miss Glynis Johns
Height
163 cm
Spouse/Ex-
Elliott Arnold October 1, 1964 - January 4, 1973 (divorced),Cecil Peter Lamont Henderson October 10, 1960 - June 21, 1962 (divorced),David Ramsay Foster February 1, 1952 - May 17, 1956 (divorced),Anthony Forwood August 29, 1942 - June 1948 (divorced)
Parents
Alice Maude Steele Johns
Trivia
Stephen Sondheim wrote "Send in the Clowns", in "A Little Night Music", with shorter phrasing to accommodate her. Although her voice, alternately described as smoky or silvery or wistful, was lovely, she was unable to sustain notes for long.
Quotes
[1991, on her return to the musical "A Little Night Music"] I've been doing songs from the show off and on through the years. So I've never really been away. Even a few months ago, I was singing "Send in the Clowns" for a charity performance. But my doctors were advising that I not work for a couple of months -- that I needed to relax, take it easy, do physiotherapy for my dental problems. More specifically, I had to make the decision about whether I wanted to come back playing another role: to hear somebody else eight performances a week, doing something that I was used to doing. You know, "Clowns" was written for me.
Nickname
The Girl with the Upside-Down Eyes
