Known For
Acting
Known Credits
82
Gender
Female
Birthday
June 7, 1909 (117 years old)
Place of Birth
London, England
Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy (June 7, 1909 – September 11, 1994) was an English-American stage and film actress.
She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films. Following the end of her marriage to Jack Hawkins, she moved to New York, where she met Canadian actor Hume Cronyn. He became her second husband and frequent partner on stage and screen.
She won the Tony Award for her performance as Blanche Dubois in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948, sharing the prize with Katherine Cornell (who won for Antony and Cleopatra) and Judith Anderson (for the latter's portrayal of Medea). Over the following three decades, her career continued sporadically and included a substantial role in Alfred Hitchcock's film, The Birds (1963), and a Tony Award-winning performance in The Gin Game (playing in the two-character play opposite her husband, Cronyn) in 1977. She, along with Cronyn was a member of the original acting company of The Guthrie Theater.
In the mid 1980s she enjoyed a career revival. She appeared opposite Hume Cronyn in the Broadway production of Foxfire in 1983 and its television adaptation four years later, winning both a Tony Award and an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Annie Nations. During these years, she appeared in films such as Cocoon (1985), also with Cronyn.
She became the oldest actress to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), for which she also won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). At the height of her success, she was named as one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People". She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1990, and continued working until shortly before her death.
| 2006 | A Streetcar on Broadwayas Self (archive footage) | |
| 2003 | Jessica Tandy: Theatre Legend to Screen Staras Self (archive footage) | |
| 2003 | Miss Daisy's Journey: From Stage to Screenas Daisy Werthan (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| 1998 | Moments of Discovery: The Making of Fried Green Tomatoesas Self | |
| 1996 | An African love storyas Self | |
| 1994 | Nobody's Foolas Beryl Peoples | |
| 1994 | Camillaas Camilla Cara | |
| 1994 | 100 Years at the Moviesas Self (archive footage) | |
| 1993 | To Dance with the White Dogas Cora Peek | |
| 1993 | Intimate Portraitas Self | |
| 1992 | Used Peopleas Freida | |
| 1991 | Fried Green Tomatoesas Ninny Threadgoode | |
| 1991 | The Story Ladyas Grace McQueen | |
| 1990 | Dream Onas (archive footage) | |
| 1990 | Night of 100 Stars IIIas Self | |
| 1989 | Driving Miss Daisyas Daisy Werthan | |
| 1988 | Cocoon: The Returnas Alma Finley | |
| 1988 | The House on Carroll Streetas Miss Venable | |
| 1987 | *batteries not includedas Faye Riley | |
| 1987 | Foxfireas Annie Nations | |
| 1985 | Cocoonas Alma Finley | |
| 1984 | The Bostoniansas Miss Birdseye | |
| 1982 | Best Friendsas Eleanor McCullen | |
| 1982 | Still of the Nightas Grace Rice | |
| 1982 | The World According to Garpas Mrs. Fields | |
| 1982 | American Playhouseas Fonsia Dorsey | |
| 1981 | Honky Tonk Freewayas Carol | |
| 1981 | The Gin Gameas Fonsia Dorsey | |
| 1978 | The Kennedy Center Honorsas Self | |
| 1974 | Butleyas Edna Shaft | |
| 1973 | Tennessee Williams' Southas | |
| 1967 | Judd, for the Defenseas | |
| 1967 | Judd, for the Defenseas Helen Wister | |
| 1965 | The F.B.I.as Ardyth Nolan | |
| 1963 | The Birdsas Lydia Brenner | |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Showas Self | |
| 1962 | Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Manas Mrs. Helen Adams | |
| 1959 | The Moon and Sixpenceas Blanche Stroeve | |
| 1958 | The Christmas Treeas Mrs. Martin | |
| 1958 | The Light in the Forestas Myra Butler | |
| 1957 | Suspicionas | |
| 1956 | Telephone Timeas | |
| 1956 | Tony Awardsas Self (archive footage) | |
| 1956 | Tony Awardsas Self - Award Accepter | |
| 1956 | Tony Awardsas Self - Nominee | |
| 1956 | Tony Awardsas Self - Nominee / Performer | |
| 1956 | Tony Awardsas Self - Presenter | |
| 1956 | Tony Awardsas Self - Winner | |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presentsas Edwina Freel | |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presentsas Julia Lester | |
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presentsas Laura Bowlby | |
| 1955 | The Fourposteras | |
| 1954 | Producers' Showcaseas Agnes | |
| 1954 | The Marriageas Liz Marriott | |
| 1953 | General Electric Theateras Laura Whitemore | |
| 1952 | Omnibusas | |
| 1952 | Omnibusas Jackie | |
| 1952 | Omnibusas Louisa Catherine Johnson | |
| 1952 | Omnibusas Self - Reader | |
| 1951 | Hallmark Hall of Fameas Annie Nations | |
| 1951 | Hallmark Hall of Fameas Mrs. Martin | |
| 1951 | The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommelas Frau Lucie Marie Rommel | |
| 1951 | Goodyear Television Playhouseas Leticia Blacklock | |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Starsas Bertha Jacks | |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Starsas Cora Torrence | |
| 1950 | September Affairas Catherine Lawrence | |
| 1950 | Prudential Family Playhouseas | |
| 1949 | Lights Outas | |
| 1948 | Studio Oneas Connaught O'Brien | |
| 1948 | Studio Oneas Mrs. Moore | |
| 1948 | The Philco Television Playhouseas Liz Marriott | |
| 1948 | The Ed Sullivan Showas Self | |
| 1948 | A Woman's Vengeanceas Janet Spence | |
| 1947 | Forever Amberas Nan Britton | |
| 1946 | The Green Yearsas Kate Leckie | |
| 1946 | Dragonwyckas Peggy O'Malley | |
| 1945 | The Valley of Decisionas Louise Kane | |
| 1944 | Blonde Feveras Restaurant Patron (uncredited) | |
| 1944 | The Seventh Crossas Liesel Roeder | |
| 1944 | Golden Globe Awardsas Self - Nominee | |
| 1938 | Murder in the Familyas Ann Osborne | |
| 1932 | Indiscretions of Eveas Penelope, the Maid |