Shelley Winters dies

[im10ashus]

Shelley Winters, Tough-Talking Oscar Winner in 'Anne Frank' and 'Patch of Blue,' Dies



Shelley Winters, who once described her life as a "rocky road out of the Brooklyn ghetto to one New York apartment, two Oscars, three California houses, four hit plays, five Impressionist paintings, six mink coats and 99 films," died yesterday. She was 83, although some sources say she was 85.

Ms. Winters died of heart failure at the Rehabilitation Centre of Beverly Hills, her publicist, Dale Olson, said. She had been hospitalized in October after suffering a heart attack.

A major movie presence for more than five decades, Shelley Winters turned herself from a self-described "dumb blond bombshell" in B pictures to a widely respected actress who was nominated four times for Academy Awards.

Her first Oscar, for best supporting actress, was for her performance in "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1959) as the middle-age Mrs. Van Daan, one of eight Dutch Jews hiding from the Nazis in an attic.

cont'd...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/movies/15winters.html?hp

[ewagner]

1. R.I.P. Shelley

Her roles always made me feel uncomfortable....because the person she portrayed was supposed to make me feel that way....

[graywarrior]

2. For a hard living dame, she sure lived a long life

[Sal Minella]

3. She was heartbreaking as Monty Clift's seduced and abandoned

girlfriend in "A Place In The Sun." I saw this not long ago, and the film has withstood the ravages of time better than I have.

[im10ashus]

8. Yes she was.

She indeed was quite the actress. Long may she rest.

[stanwyck]

16. I love that movie

and I have to say, as a straight woman, that first scene with the very young Elizabeth Taylor is stunning. She's so beautiful she doesn't seem real. But, you're right. Shelley's counterpoint to Taylor made the film. Just one of her many brave performances. She was also wonderful as "Alfie's" libidinous match in the original movie with Michael Caine.

[Sal Minella]

19. Both Taylor and Clift are so gorgeous they seem to have sparkles

at the tips of their eyelashes. And then poor Shelley, hunkered over in that rowboat with her babushka tied over her head and her voice grating on your nerves. And she won't shut up, and you feel guilty wanting him to get it over with.

"One of her many brave performances," yes. And she was the mother in the "Lolita" with James Mason, right?

[stanwyck]

23. Yes. She was Lolita's mother

again playing the unwanted woman.
I'll never forgive Carol Burnett for doing a parody of the Monty Clift/Shelley Winters rowboat scene. "Voice grating" is right. Burnett's version ended with the Monty character throwing himself in the lake just to get away from her voice.

[Cleita]

4. An actor friend of mine, who knew her, called her, "a great gal."

He said that about only one other actress he had worked with and that was Anne Bancroft. He thought both of them were the best in every way.

[mucifer]

5. Lets not forget her strong lefty political stances she took during the

civil rights era. She also made me laugh when I saw her interviewed. That strong Jewish woman that she with a raging sense of humor.

[oasis]

6. A truly great actress. Rest in peace Shelley.

O8)

[elehhhhna]

7. Brilliant. She was simply brilliant. Bless her.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. She was a hoot as Roseanne's Nana :^D

[fedupinBushcountry]

10. RIP

One of my favorites. A true icon of the industry.

[troubleinwinter]

11. Aw, I am so sorry. Great actress, and a smart lady.

Her first biographical book was a kick. Particularly her desription of "F.M. shoes".

Some Shelley quotes:

“I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.”

“It was so cold I almost got married”

“In Hollywood, all marriages are happy. It's trying to live together afterwards that causes the problems.”

[im10ashus]

13. Thanks!

I remember those quotes. :-)

[FreedomAngel82]

12. RIP

:(

14. She was great to watch - thanks for the films Shelley

I especially remember her in Poseidon Adventure.

[mitchum]

22. She and Jack Albertson are tender and moving in their scenes together...

despite everything else in that ridiculous movie

[im10ashus]

27. Oh God!

That movie made me cry when she died. So sad.

[kskiska]

30. She gained a lot of weight to play the part of the fat woman

in the Poseidon Adventure, then found it very difficult to lose it.

[xchrom]

15. farewell ms winters.

i thought and still think you are brilliant.

[KharmaTrain]

17. Dim The Lights At The Actor's Studio

A truly remarkable woman who overcame so much and rose to some great movie roles. A Stassborg graduate with James Dean, Brando and others, my favorite roll of hers was in the Diary of Anne Frank. No blonde bombshell in that role.

Take a bow, Ms. Shelly...I'll even forgive you now for the Posideon Adventure.

:toast:

[newyawker99]

18. Rest in Peace Ms. Winters.

:-(

[DanCa]

20. (says a prayer) for a brief second i confused her with shelly long.

Don't know why i did it. I hope the people in shelly winters family have a gentle night tonight..

[mitchum]

21. Rest In Peace to a great actress, wonderful teacher, and highly...

entertaining author
You did good, Shirley

[Sal Minella]

24. Thank you.

?path=pgallery&path_key=Winters,%20Shelley&seq=8

[devilgrrl]

25. No! Not Shelley Winters!

:cry:

She was great. RIP Shelley!

[Carla in Ca]

26. So sorry to hear she has passed away

Her role in A Place In The Sun has always been one of my favorites.

[im10ashus]

28. It's on Turner Classic Movies today.

2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT

http://www.turnerclassicmovies.com/schedule/index.jsp

[Hidden Stillness]

29. One of the Good People

Shelley Winters was one of the smartest Hollywood stars, and one of the best storytellers; if you ever read her autobiography, which was a best-seller, you know how interesting she was, and what a great life she lead. There were really great, perceptive, funny, detailed stories about all kinds of movie stars she knew well--Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Marilyn Monroe whom she lived with for a while, etc.--and a real sense of atmosphere, about New York, show business, etc. She even had great descriptions of the huge snowstorm of 1947-1948, I think it was. She was a fabulous writer, and very politically astute, just like Lauren Bacall. Another great, real, lifelong Democrat, who always campaigned for Democrats, back to the great Adlai Stevenson, who should have been elected, up to Clinton, and she marched in civl rights and women's rights marches during the '60s and '70s. She was actually a wonderful, very smart and well-read, compassionate/political person--and always, a Roosevelt Democrat, who was friends with Eleanor. I remember hearing, for a while there (1980s, early '90s?), that she was planning to write a book that would really examine the atmosphere and charisma, the mood, of Hollywood, stardom, etc., to be called "Schwab's is a State of Mind," I think, but then it never happened, because I believe that was when she first began to have symptoms of being tired, and unable to concnetrate on writing for long periods as before. It would have been great; but she was still fabulous to listen to, many times on the old morning/syndicated (real) Phil Donahue program.

She was one of the all-time great actors, from "A Place in the Sun" to "A Patch of Blue," and great little-known "Actor's Studio" type productions like "The Big Knife" with Jack Palance, about Hollywood studios. One of the best things she ever did--so great you may not even have realized it was her--was the TV movie "Elvis" with Kurt Russell, maybe the best non-documentary movie ever on Elvis; she was Elvis's Mom Gladys; incredible. She got into a role and was it, so that it was only the character, not her self-consciously playing it. She was also great, as mentioned, on "Roseanne." Shelley Winters was one of the good people.