Irene Worth
American stage and screen actress, three-time Tony winner.
Irene Worth was born Harriett Elizabeth Abrams on June 23, 1916, in Fairbury, Nebraska, to Mennonite parents who were both teachers. Her father, Heinrich "Henry" Abrams, was born in Russia; her mother was Agnes (née Thiessen). The family moved to Southern California in 1920. She attended Newport Harbor High School, Santa Ana Junior College, and UCLA, then became a teacher like her parents while also pursuing acting. She changed her name to Irene Worth and by 1944 had settled in London, where she spent much of her career.
Worth made her Broadway debut in 1943 in *The Two Mrs. Carrolls*. She joined the Old Vic company in 1951, working with Tyrone Guthrie and playing Desdemona, Helena, Portia, and her first Lady Macbeth. The company toured South Africa with her as a leading lady. In 1953, she was the principal leading lady in the inaugural season of the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, performing under a tent with Alec Guinness in *All's Well That Ends Well* and *Richard III*. There she also gave an acclaimed performance as Hedda Gabler, a role she considered among her most satisfying; Walter Kerr wrote a glowing review in *The New York Times*. She returned to London in N.C. Hunter's *A Day by the Sea* with John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, and joined the Midland Theatre Company for Ugo Betti's *The Queen and the Rebels*. Her transformation in that play earned a transfer to London, where Kenneth Tynan praised her technique as "grandiose, heartfelt, marvellously controlled, clear as crystal and totally unmoving." In the 1950s she also performed in the farce *Hotel Paradiso* with Guinness and in Ivor Brown's *William's Other Anne*, playing Shakespeare's first girlfriend opposite John Gregson.
She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in 1962. There she played Goneril to Paul Scofield's Lear in Peter Brook's acclaimed *King Lear*, the first of many collaborations with Brook; she later recreated that role in the black-and-white film version. She repeated her Lady Macbeth and appeared again for Brook in Friedrich Dürrenmatt's *The Physicists*, playing an asylum superintendent. She worked with Brook in Paris on *Orghast*, an attempt to develop an international theatre language staged at the Shiraz Arts Festival in 1971. She joined the National Theatre at the Old Vic in 1968 to play Jocasta in Brook's production of Seneca's *Oedipus
- born
- June 23, 1916, Fairbury, Nebraska, USA
- died
- March 10, 2002, New York City, USA
- field
- Actress (stage and screen)
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Tony Award-winning performances in Tiny Alice, Sweet Bird of Youth, and Lost in Yonkers; BAFTA Award for Orders to Kill
Lore & Background
Harriett Elizabeth Abrams was born in Fairbury, Nebraska, the eldest of three children of Mennonite parents who were both teachers. The family moved to Southern California in 1920. She was educated at Newport Harbor High School, Santa Ana Junior College, and UCLA, and after graduation became a teacher while pursuing acting. She changed her name to Irene Worth and by 1944 had settled in London, where she remained for much of her career.
Worth made her Broadway debut in 1943 in 'The Two Mrs. Carrolls.' She joined the Old Vic company in 1951, working with Tyrone Guthrie and playing Desdemona, Helena, Portia, and her first Lady Macbeth. In 1953, she joined the inaugural season of the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, as principal leading lady. She won the BAFTA Award for Best British Actress for the 1958 film Orders to Kill. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1962, where she played Goneril to Paul Scofield's Lear in Peter Brook's acclaimed King Lear.
Worth won her first Tony Award in 1965 for Tiny Alice, her second in 1976 for Sweet Bird of Youth, and her third in 1991 for Lost in Yonkers. Later stage performances included opposite Paul Scofield in the 2001 production I Take Your Hand in Mine at the Almeida Theatre. She died following a stroke in 2002 at age 85.
Reader's Guide
Irene Worth's significance lies in her sustained excellence across decades on both sides of the Atlantic, earning three Tony Awards and a BAFTA. She was a versatile actress who moved seamlessly between Shakespeare, modern drama, and film. Her collaborations with directors such as Peter Brook and actors including Paul Scofield and John Gielgud marked some of the most notable productions of the 20th century. Worth also developed a reputation for dramatic recitals, including a two-hour monologue Portrait of Edith Wharton. Her legacy is that of a disciplined, powerful performer who commanded the stage in both classical and contemporary works.
Did You Know?
- She won the BAFTA Award for Best British Actress for the 1958 film Orders to Kill.
- She was a three-time Tony Award winner, for Tiny Alice (1965), Sweet Bird of Youth (1976), and Lost in Yonkers (1991).
- One of her later stage performances was opposite Paul Scofield in I Take Your Hand in Mine at the Almeida Theatre in 2001.
- She devised and performed a two-hour monologue Portrait of Edith Wharton in the mid-1990s.
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