Anne Bancroft

American actress
Also known as: Anna Maria Louisa Italiano
Quick Facts
Original name:
Anna Maria Louisa Italiano
Born:
September 17, 1931, Bronx, New York, U.S.
Died:
June 6, 2005, New York, N.Y. (aged 73)
Awards And Honors:
Tony Awards
Academy Award (1963)
Academy Award (1963): Actress in a Leading Role
Emmy Award (1999): Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Golden Globe Award (1968): Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe Award (1965): Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Tony Award (1960): Best Actress in a Play
Tony Award (1958): Best Featured Actress in a Play
Notable Family Members:
spouse Mel Brooks
Married To:
Mel Brooks (married 1964)
Martin A. May (1953–1957)
Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):
"Delgo" (2008)
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2004)
"Heartbreakers" (2001)
"Keeping the Faith" (2000)
"Up at the Villa" (2000)
"Antz" (1998)
"Great Expectations" (1998)
"Critical Care" (1997)
"G.I. Jane" (1997)
"The Sunchaser" (1996)
"Dracula: Dead and Loving It" (1995)
"Home for the Holidays" (1995)
"How to Make an American Quilt" (1995)
"The Simpsons" (1994)
"Great Performances" (1994)
"Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All" (1994)
"Mr. Jones" (1993)
"Malice" (1993)
"Point of No Return" (1993)
"Love Potion No. 9" (1992)
"Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992)
"American Playhouse" (1992)
"Freddie and Max" (1990)
"Bert Rigby, You're a Fool" (1989)
"Torch Song Trilogy" (1988)
"84 Charing Cross Road" (1987)
"'night, Mother" (1986)
"Agnes of God" (1985)
"Garbo Talks" (1984)
"To Be or Not to Be" (1983)
"Marco Polo" (1982)
"The Elephant Man" (1980)
"Fatso" (1980)
"The Turning Point" (1977)
"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977)
"Silent Movie" (1976)
"Lipstick" (1976)
"The Hindenburg" (1975)
"The Prisoner of Second Avenue" (1975)
"Young Winston" (1972)
"The Graduate" (1967)
"ABC Stage 67" (1967)
"7 Women" (1966)
"The Slender Thread" (1965)
"Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" (1964)
"The Pumpkin Eater" (1964)
"The Miracle Worker" (1962)
"The Frank Sinatra Show" (1958)
"Zane Grey Theater" (1957)
"The Girl in Black Stockings" (1957)
"The Alcoa Hour" (1956–1957)
"The Restless Breed" (1957)
"Climax!" (1956–1957)
"Lux Video Theatre" (1950–1957)
"Playhouse 90" (1957)
"Nightfall" (1956)
"Walk the Proud Land" (1956)
"The Last Frontier" (1955)
"The Naked Street" (1955)
"A Life in the Balance" (1955)
"New York Confidential" (1955)
"Your Favorite Story" (1954)
"The Raid" (1954)
"Demetrius and the Gladiators" (1954)
"Gorilla at Large" (1954)
"Kraft Television Theatre" (1953)
"Omnibus" (1953)
"The Kid from Left Field" (1953)
"Treasure of the Golden Condor" (1953)
"Tonight We Sing" (1953)
"Don't Bother to Knock" (1952)
"Lights Out" (1951)
"The Web" (1951)
"Armstrong Circle Theatre" (1951)
"Danger" (1951)
"The Goldbergs" (1951)
"The Adventures of Ellery Queen" (1951)
"Studio One" (1950–1951)
"The Ford Theatre Hour" (1951)
"Suspense" (1951)
Movies/Tv Shows (Directed):
"Fatso" (1980)
Movies/Tv Shows (Writing/Creator):
"Fatso" (1980)

Anne Bancroft (born September 17, 1931, Bronx, New York, U.S.—died June 6, 2005, New York, N.Y.) was an American actress whose half-century-long career was studded with renowned successes on stage, screen, and television. She won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for best actress for one of her most physically and emotionally demanding roles, that of Helen Keller’s teacher, Annie Sullivan, in The Miracle Worker (Broadway, 1959; film, 1962), but it was with another Oscar-nominated film role, the seductive Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate (1967), that—to her bewilderment—she was most identified.

Bancroft began her career in the 1950s in live television productions, including the comedy series The Goldbergs, and in a number of grade-B or C movies. Dissatisfied with the roles she was finding, Bancroft moved to New York City. Her Broadway debut in the two-character drama Two for the Seesaw (1958), brought her wide recognition for the depth of her talent and garnered her a Tony Award for best supporting actress. The role of Annie Sullivan followed the next year, and the film version of that play rejuvenated her movie career.

In addition to her role in The Graduate, Bancroft also received Oscar nominations for her performances as an isolated wife in The Pumpkin Eater (1964), as a ballet dancer in The Turning Point (1977), and as a mother superior in Agnes of God (1985). Other notable film credits included The Slender Thread (1965), Young Winston (1972), The Elephant Man (1980), ’Night, Mother (1986), and 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), as well as three with her second husband, comedian-director-producer Mel BrooksSilent Movie (1976), To Be or Not to Be (1983), and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995). For one of Bancroft’s occasional returns to the stage— Golda (1977)—she received a third Tony nomination, and television roles in PBS’s Mrs. Cage (1992) and CBS’s Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) earned her Emmy Award nominations.

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).
Britannica Quiz
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The Graduate, American dark comedy film, released in 1967, that made Dustin Hoffman a star and featured a hit sound track by the singing duo Simon and Garfunkel. The film’s groundbreaking portrayal of postgraduate malaise and the alienation of the generation then coming of age made it an unexpected hit.

(Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.)

Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate unsure of his future. Torn between taking the path of his father’s generation and a desire to follow his instincts, he ends up courting a beautiful young rich girl (played by Katharine Ross) on the heels of his affair with her mother, the sexy siren Mrs. Robinson (played by Anne Bancroft), who seduces him.

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).
Britannica Quiz
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia

The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols, arrived without much fanfare but quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The relatively unknown Hoffman rose to stardom as a result of his portrayal of Braddock, a role that originally had been considered for more established actors, including Robert Redford and Warren Beatty. Hoffman was 30 at the time of filming, and Bancroft, cast as the dangerously seductive “older woman,” was 36. Buck Henry, who cowrote the screenplay, made a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk.

Production notes and credits

  • Studio: Embassy Pictures
  • Director: Mike Nichols
  • Writers: Calder Willingham and Buck Henry
  • Music: Dave Grusin
  • Songs: Paul Simon
  • Running time: 105 minutes

Cast

  • Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson)
  • Dustin Hoffman (Benjamin Braddock)
  • Katharine Ross (Elaine Robinson)
  • William Daniels (Mr. Braddock)
  • Murray Hamilton (Mr. Robinson)

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)

  • Picture
  • Director*
  • Cinematography
  • Screenplay
  • Lead actor
  • Lead actress
  • Supporting actress
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.