Glynis Johns, Known for “Mary Poppins” Role, Passes Away

(USNewsBreak.com) – “Mary Poppins” is one of the most notable films to come out of Disney, telling the tale of a magical nanny who cares for two children while teaching them valuable life lessons. Actress Glynis Johns played one of the characters in the movie, Winifred Banks, a suffragette and the children’s mother. Sadly, she recently passed away.

Johns, born on October 5, 1923, in South Africa, passed away on Thursday, January 4. Her publicist revealed that she died of natural causes at an assisted living home in Los Angeles. She was 100 years old.

Glynis Johns, the British actress best known for her role as Mrs. Winifred Banks in "Mary Poppins," has died of natural causes, her publicist said. She was 100. https://t.co/Fj8FcuwRJa

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) January 4, 2024

While many might have revered the actress for her role in “Mary Poppins,” she had a long, expansive career that covered eight decades. Johns began as a dancer at the age of 12 and broke into acting at the age of 15. She was active on both the stage and the screen, appearing in more than 60 movies and several television shows. She made her first screen appearance at the age of 15 in the British drama film “South Riding.” From there, she only rose in popularity.

When asked about her approach to acting, Johns was adamant that being a perfectionist was necessary to succeed. In a 1990 interview with The Associated Press, she said she wasn’t “interested in playing the role on only one level.” She believed engaging in “first-class acting” required her to “make a reality of it. To be real.”

In the same interview, she revealed that she received her “greatest gift” from composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who wrote “Send in the Clowns,” a hit song, just for her when she played Desiree Armfeldt in the stage production of “A Little Night Music.” She won a Tony Award for her performance. Johns also won a Drama Desk Award and received nominations for a Laurence Olivier Award and a Golden Globe.

Johns had one child, son Gareth Forwood, who died in 2007 from a heart attack.