Biography
Glynis Johns was a British actress born on 5 October 1923 in Pretoria, South Africa. She made her screen debut in South Riding (1938) and appeared as Anna in the wartime drama 49th Parallel (1941).
Johns originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt in the Broadway production of A Little Night Music (1973), winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical; Stephen Sondheim wrote 'Send in the Clowns' for her voice. She played Winifred Banks in the Disney film Mary Poppins (1964) and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Sundowners (1960). Her father was the actor Mervyn Johns.
She appeared in more than 60 films across a career spanning seven decades, with later roles including those in While You Were Sleeping (1995) and The Ref (1994). Johns died on 4 January 2024.
