Maureen Stapleton

Actress. Best known for her Academy Award-winning role as the no-nonsense 'Emma Goldman' in Warren Beatty's 1981 film "Reds," she was a lifelong performer on the stage and in motion pictures. After finishing high school, she attended the Herbert Berghof Acting School in New York. In 1946, she made her Broadway debut in Burgess Meredith's production of "The Playboy of the Western World." In 1951, she won a Tony Award for her performance as 'Serafina' in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo." She would appear in several hit plays throughout her career that would bring her four more nominations and another Tony in 1971 for "The Gingerbread Lady." Throughout the 1950s, her work in film was limited. As well as her work on the stage, she appeared in several television series as a guest star. In 1958, she caught a break and won a role in the film "Lonelyhearts." She would receive an Oscar nomination for her role. In 1959, she got an Emmy nomination for the made-for-television movie "All the King's Men." During the 1960s, she worked in several stage productions as well as several films on the small screen. She won an Emmy in 1968 for her role in "Among the Paths to Eden." In "Airport" she received another Oscar nomination for her role as 'Inez Guerrero.' She would receive two other Emmy nominations for her work in television movies: The first in 1975, for her role as 'Bea' in "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom," and, in 1977, for her role as 'Kate,' a woman who let her estranged husband come home for one more Christmas gathering with his family before his death, in "The Gathering." In 1979, she would play 'Kate' one more time in the sequel "The Gathering, Part II." She would also get one more Oscar nomination for "Interiors," in 1978. Some of her more notable roles came in the 1980s in the films "Reds," "Cocoon" in 1986, and "Cocoon: The Return" in 1988. She would continue to work throughout the 1990s on the stage and in several television productions. She was last seen in the 2003 film, "Living and Dining."