Jo Van Fleet
American actress who won an Oscar and a Tony.
Jo Van Fleet (December 29, 1915 – June 10, 1996) acted on stage, in films, and on television for more than forty years. She often took roles of women much older than she was. In 1954, she won a Tony Award for her part in the Broadway play *The Trip to Bountiful*, and the next year she earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Cathy Ames in *East of Eden*.
Born Josephine Kay Van Fleet in Oakland, California, she was the younger of two daughters. Her father, Roy H. Van Fleet, worked for the railroads and died in 1919 from a streptococcus infection that spread after a lancing. By age five, Jo, her sister Corinne, and their mother Bessie lived with Bessie’s parents in Oakland. Bessie worked as a sales lady in a dry goods store. Jo graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1936, then taught high school in Morro Bay, California. She later earned a master’s degree from the College of the Pacific in Stockton and moved to New York City to train with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Her professional stage career began in 1944 with a role as Miss Phipps in *Uncle Harry* in Washington, D.C. On Broadway, she played Dorcas in *The Winter’s Tale* in 1946 and Regan opposite Louis Calhern in *King Lear* in 1950. She won her Tony for playing Jessie Mae Watts in Horton Foote’s *The Trip to Bountiful*, starring alongside Lillian Gish and Eva Marie Saint. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she studied with Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. Kazan directed her in *Flight to Egypt* (1952) and *Camino Real* (1953), and in 1954 urged her to try film. He cast her in *East of Eden* (1955), her film debut, as Cathy Ames, mother of James Dean’s character. Critics praised her, and she won the Oscar. Through 1960, she appeared in *The Rose Tattoo*, *I’ll Cry Tomorrow*, *The King and Four Queens*, and *Gunfight at the O.K. Corral*. But her film career stalled. Kazan noted, “Jo stagnated, and, since she knew it, was bitter. And as she became bitter, she became more difficult.” She told the *Los Angeles Times* she feared being typecast in tragic roles.
In 1958, she earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play for *Look Homeward, Angel*, playing the acquisitive mother of Anthony Perkins’s character. Later films included *Wild River* (1960), where at age 44 she played 89-year-old Ella, spending five hours each morning
- born
- December 29, 1915, Oakland, California
- died
- June 10, 1996, New York City, New York
- field
- Actress (stage, film, television)
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for *East of Eden* (1955); Tony Award for *The Trip to Bountiful* (1954)
Lore & Background
Jo Van Fleet was born Josephine Kay Van Fleet in Oakland, California, the younger of two daughters. Her father, a railroad worker, died in 1919 from a streptococcus infection. After her father's death, she lived with her mother and sister in her grandparents' home. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1936, taught high school in Morro Bay, and later earned a master's degree from the College of the Pacific before moving to New York City to train with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Van Fleet began her professional stage career in 1944 in Washington, D.C., and soon distinguished herself on Broadway. She won a Tony Award in 1954 for her role in *The Trip to Bountiful*. Encouraged by Elia Kazan, she made her film debut in *East of Eden* (1955), winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She continued acting in films such as *The Rose Tattoo*, *I'll Cry Tomorrow*, and *Cool Hand Luke*, and on television in series like *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* and *Bonanza*.
Van Fleet married William G. Bales in 1946; they had one son. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. She died at age 80 in New York City; her body was cremated and ashes returned to her family.
Reader's Guide
Jo Van Fleet's significance lies in her ability to portray characters much older than her actual age, a skill that brought her critical acclaim and an Academy Award for her film debut in *East of Eden*. Her career, however, did not progress as she had hoped; she expressed concerns about being typecast in tragic roles. Despite this, she delivered notable performances in a range of films and television shows over four decades. Her legacy includes a Tony Award and an Oscar, marking her as a versatile actress who transitioned successfully from stage to screen. Her work in *Wild River*, where she played an 89-year-old at age 44, exemplifies her commitment to transformative roles. Van Fleet's career, while marked by frustration, remains a testament to her talent and the challenges faced by character actors in Hollywood.
Did You Know?
- Van Fleet won both a Tony Award (1954) and an Academy Award (1955) within two years.
- She spent five hours each morning in makeup to play an 89-year-old in *Wild River* when she was only 44.
- Her father died in 1919 from a streptococcus infection that spread after being lanced.
- She studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse and later with Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
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