Judith Anderson
Australian actress acclaimed on stage and screen.
Dame Frances Margaret Anderson, who performed as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress born on 10 February 1897 in Adelaide, South Australia. She built a notable career across stage, film, and television, earning two Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for a Grammy and an Academy Award.
The youngest of four children, Anderson was born to Jessie Margaret Saltmarsh, a former nurse, and James Anderson Anderson, a Scottish-born sharebroker and prospector. She attended Norwood, a private school, but left before graduating.
Anderson made her professional debut in 1915 as Francee Anderson in *A Royal Divorce* at Sydney’s Theatre Royal, playing Stephanie. She worked under Scottish actor Julius Knight, whom she credited for her acting foundation, appearing with him in adaptations of *The Scarlet Pimpernel*, *The Three Musketeers*, *Monsieur Beaucaire*, and *David Garrick*. In 1917, she toured New Zealand.
Ambitious to leave Australia, she chose the U.S. over war-disrupted London. After four unsuccessful months in California, she moved to New York with similar results. Following a period of poverty and illness, she joined the Emma Bunting Stock Company at the Fourteenth Street Theatre in 1918–19, then toured with other stock companies.
Her Broadway debut came in *Up the Stairs* (1922), followed by *The Crooked Square* (1923) and a Chicago run of *Patches* (1923). *Peter Weston* (1923) had a short run. In 1924, she adopted the stage name Judith and achieved her first success in *Cobra*, co-starring Louis Calhern for 35 performances. *The Dove* (1925) ran 101 performances, establishing her on Broadway. She toured Australia in 1927 with *Tea for Three*, *The Green Hat*, and *Cobra*. Back on Broadway, she appeared in *Behold the Bridegroom* (1927–28) and took the lead in *Anna* (1928), later replacing Lynn Fontanne in *Strange Interlude* (1929).
Anderson’s film debut was a Warner Bros. short, *Madame of the Jury* (1930), followed by her feature debut in *Blood Money* (1933). In 1931, she played the Unknown Woman in the American premiere of Pirandello’s *As You Desire Me*, which ran 142 performances. She appeared in a short-lived revival of *Mourning Becomes Electra* (1932), then *Firebird* (1932), *Conquest*, *The Drums Begin* (both 1933), and *The Mask and the Face* (1933, with Humphrey Bogart). She focused on Broadway with *Come of Age* (1934) and *Divi
- born
- 10 February 1897, Adelaide, South Australia
- died
- 3 January 1992
- field
- Actress (stage, film, television)
- nationality
- Australian
- known_for
- Stage roles including Medea and Lady Macbeth; film role as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca (1940)
Lore & Background
Judith Anderson was born Frances Margaret Anderson in 1897 in Adelaide, South Australia, the youngest of four children. She made her professional debut in 1915 in Sydney, and after touring New Zealand, she moved to the United States, where she initially struggled before finding work with stock companies. She changed her acting forename to Judith and achieved her first Broadway triumph in Cobra (1924), followed by The Dove (1925), which established her on Broadway. She made her film debut in a 1930 short and her feature-film debut in Blood Money (1933).
Anderson received a career boost when she was cast as Mrs. Danvers in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She continued to work in film throughout the 1940s, appearing in Laura (1944), And Then There Were None (1945), and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). In 1947, she triumphed as Medea in a version of Euripides' tragedy, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress. She later reprised her role as Lady Macbeth on television, winning an Emmy Award in 1954 and another in 1960.
Reader's Guide
Judith Anderson's significance lies in her powerful stage performances and her iconic film role as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca. She was a leading stage actress of her era, winning a Tony Award for her portrayal of Medea and two Emmy Awards for her television performances as Lady Macbeth. Her career spanned from the 1910s to the 1960s, and she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Grammy Award. Anderson's work helped bridge the worlds of stage and screen, and she is remembered for her commanding presence and versatility. Her legacy includes influencing later generations of actors and being a notable figure in both Australian and international entertainment history.
Did You Know?
- She made her professional debut in 1915 under the name Francee Anderson.
- She won a Tony Award for Best Actress for her performance as Medea in 1947.
- She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca (1940).
- She won two Emmy Awards for playing Lady Macbeth on television, in 1954 and 1960.
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