# Elizabeth Wilson

Elizabeth Welter Wilson (April 4, 1921 – May 9, 2015) was an American actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years, including memorable roles in film and television. In 1972 she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in Sticks and Bones. Wilson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006.

## Early life

Wilson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daughter of insurance agent Henry Dunning Wilson and Marie Ethel (née Welter) Wilson. Her maternal grandfather was a wealthy German immigrant, and Wilson was raised in a large mansion. She attended the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, and then studied with Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
According to Wilson, she was a lifelong liberal Democrat and she adhered to the Methodist faith.

## Career

Wilson was a versatile character actress, appearing in over 30 movies and many Broadway plays. The Los Angeles Times noted: "Tall and elegant, Wilson often played women who had or sought authority."
Wilson made her Broadway debut in Picnic in 1953. Her stage credits include Desk Set (1955), The Good Woman of Szechuan (1970), Sticks and Bones (1972), Uncle Vanya (1973), Threepenny Opera (1976), The Importance of Being Earnest (1977), Morning's at Seven (1980), You Can't Take It with You (1983), Ah, Wilderness! (1988), and A Delicate Balance (1996).
Wilson made her screen debut reprising her stage role in the 1955 film adaptation of Picnic as Christine Schoenwalder. Additional films include Patterns (1956), The Goddess (1958), The Tunnel of Love (1958), A Child Is Waiting (1963, The Birds (1963), The Graduate (1967), Jenny (1970), Catch-22 (1970) Little Murders (1971), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), Man on a Swing (1974), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), 9 to 5 (1980), Grace Quigley (1984), Regarding Henry (1991), The Addams Family (1991), and Quiz Show (1994). Her last film role was as Sara Delano Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012).
Wilson's television credits include early anthology series such as Kraft Television Theatre, The United States Steel Hour, and Armstrong Circle Theatre. She was a regular on the primetime drama East Side/West Side and the sitcom Doc, and appeared in Dark Shadows, The Secret Storm, Another World, All in the Family, Murder, She Wrote, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She also appeared in television movies, including The Boys Next Door (1996). She appeared in the miniseries Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder in March 1987 as the mother of Frances Schreuder (played by Lee Remick), as well as the miniseries Alex Haley's Queen.

## Death

On May 9, 2015, at age 94, Wilson died at her home in New Haven, Connecticut. She is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her parents. She never married or had children.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Picnic | Christine Schoenwalder | |
| 1956 | Patterns | Marge Fleming | |
| 1958 | The Goddess | Harding | |
| 1958 | The Tunnel of Love | Miss MacCracken | |
| 1959 | Happy Anniversary | Millie | |
| 1963 | A Child Is Waiting | Miss Fogarty | |
| 1963 | The Birds | Helen Carter | |
| 1967 | The Graduate | Mrs. Braddock | |
| 1970 | Jenny | Mrs. Marsh | |
| 1971 | Little Murders | Marjorie Newquist | |
| 1973 | The Day of the Dolphin | Mrs. Rome | |
| 1974 | Man on a Swing | Dr. Anna Willson | |
| 1975 | The Prisoner of Second Avenue | Pauline | |
| 1975 | The Happy Hooker | Mrs. Gordon | |
| 1980 | 9 to 5 | Roz | |
| 1981 | The Incredible Shrinking Woman | Dr. Ruth Ruth | |
| 1984 | Grace Quigley | Emily Watkins | |
| 1986 | Where Are the Children? | Dorothy Prentiss | |
| 1987 | The Believers | Kate Maslow | |
| 1989 | Nora's Christmas Gift | Madeline Mumford | Video |
| 1991 | Regarding Henry | Jessica | |
| 1991 | The Addams Family | Abigail Craven / Dr Pinder-Schloss | |
| 1994 | Quiz Show | Dorothy Van Doren | |
| 1994 | Nobody's Fool | Nora | |
| 2001 | Rocky Road | Grandma Louise | |
| 2012 | Hyde Park on Hudson | Sara Roosevelt | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954, 1959–60 | The United States Steel Hour | Mrs. Watson, Grace Ferguson, Cora Wylie | Episodes: "Welcome Home", "The Pink Burro", "Queen of the Orange Bowl" |
| 1955 | Kraft Television Theatre | Marge Fleming | Episode: "Patterns" |
| 1956 | Star Tonight | Ma Kirby | Episode: "Happy Journey" |
| 1960 | Interpol Calling | Michele | Episode: "The Girl with Grey Hair" |
| 1960 | The Detectives | Beatrice Faustina | Episode: "Song of Songs" |
| 1961 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Esther Harding | Episode: "Black Market Babies" |
| 1963–1964 | East Side/West Side | Frieda Hechlinger | Main role |
| 1965 | The Nurses | Dr. Lanz | Episode: "Sixteen Hours to Chicago" |
| 1966 | Dark Shadows | Mrs. Hopewell | Episodes: "1.1", "1.8" |
| 1969 | NET Playhouse | Miss Moray | Episode: "Let Me Hear You Whisper" |
| 1970 | The Secret Storm | Felicia Stringer | TV series |
| 1974 | Another April | Ruth Weston | TV film |
| 1975 | Miles to Go Before I Sleep | Kate Stanton | TV film |
| 1975 | All in the Family | Amelia DeKuyper | Episode: "Amelia's Divorce" |
| 1975 | The Easter Promise | Mrs. Coyle | TV film |
| 1975–1976 | Doc | Annie Bogert | Main role (season 1) |
| 1979 | Another World | Ethel Banta | Episode: "1.3746" |
| 1979 | Sanctuary of Fear | Mrs. Glidden | TV film |
| 1980 | Once Upon a Family | Norma Solomon | TV film |
| 1982 | Million Dollar Infield | Sally Ephron | TV film |
| 1982 | Tucker's Witch | Jewel Porter | Episode: "Big Mouth" |
| 1982 | Morning's at Seven | Aaronetta Gibbs | TV film |
| 1984 | Great Performances | Penny Sycamore | Episode: "You Can't Take It with You" |
| 1986 | Morningstar/Eveningstar | Kathy Kelly | TV series, 7 episodes |
| 1987 | Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder | Berenice Bradshaw | TV miniseries |
| 1987 | A Conspiracy of Love | Lilly Woldarski | TV film |
| 1990 | Burning Bridges | Freda | TV film |
| 1993 | Skylark | Harriet Wheaton | TV film |
| 1993 | Delta | Rosiland Dupree | Episodes: "Mom Comes to Town", "Amateur Night", "Red Hot Mama", "Delta's Little Dilemma" |
| 1994 | In the Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness | Annie Klenner | TV film |
| 1994 | Spring Awakening | Mrs. Pierson | TV film |
| 1994 | Scarlett | Eulalie Robillard | TV miniseries |
| 1995 | Murder, She Wrote | Serena Haynes | Episode: "Home Care" |
| 1996 | The Boys Next Door | Mary Fremus | TV film |
| 1996 | Special Report: Journey to Mars | President Elizabeth Richardson | TV film |
| 1997 | Dellaventura | Eloise Berg | Episode: "Clean Slate" |
| 1998 | Promised Land | Evelyn Hooper | Episode: "Recycled" |
| 2000 | Gideon's Crossing | Camellia Kellogg | Episode: "Father Knows Best" |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Lucille Mobray | Episode: "Chinoiserie" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Results |
| 1956 | British Academy Film Awards | Most Promising Newcomer to Film | Patterns | Nominated |
| 1976 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | The Threepenny Opera | Nominated |
| 1980 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Ensemble Performance | Morning's at Seven | Won |
| 1985 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Salonika | Nominated |
| 1987 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder | Nominated |
| 1972 | Tony Awards | Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play | Sticks and Bones | Won |