Jessica Tandy was an English-American stage and film actress, born Jessie Alice Tandy on June 7, 1909. She made her debut on the London stage at the tender age of 16 in 1926, playing notable roles such as Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. Her early career also included work in British films.
After divorcing Jack Hawkins, Tandy moved to New York, where she met Canadian actor Hume Cronyn, who would become her second husband and frequent collaborator. Together, they worked on numerous stage and screen productions, with Tandy winning the Tony Award for her portrayal of Blanche Dubois in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948.
Over the next three decades, Tandy's career continued sporadically, with notable roles in Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds (1963) and a Tony Award-winning performance in The Gin Game (1977),opposite her husband Cronyn. She was also a member of the original acting company of The Guthrie Theater.
Tandy experienced a career resurgence in the mid-1980s, starring opposite Cronyn in the Broadway production of Foxfire (1983) and its television adaptation four years later. Her performance earned her a Tony Award and an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Annie Nations. During this period, she appeared in films such as Cocoon (1985),also with Cronyn.
Tandy's greatest success came in the late 1980s, when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Driving Miss Daisy (1989),earning her a BAFTA and a Golden Globe in the process. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). At the height of her fame, Tandy was named one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People".
Despite being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1990, Tandy continued working until shortly before her passing on September 11, 1994.
