caption death_date death_place birth_place birth_date image article_title name occupation death_cause
publicity photo , 1960 25 november 1993 englewood , new jersey , u.s. baltimore , maryland , u.s. 13 august 1917 claudia-mcneil . jpg claudia mcneil
 claudia mcneil actress diabetes
claudia mcneil

claudia mcneil -lrb- august 13 , 1917 -- november 25 , 1993 -rrb- was an american actress known for premiering the role of matriarch lena younger in both the stage and screen productions of `` a raisin in the sun '' .
she later appeared in a 1981 production of the musical version of the play , `` raisin '' presented by equity library theater .
she was twice nominated for a tony award , first for her onstage performance in `` a raisin in the sun '' -lrb- 1959 -rrb- , and again for the play `` tiger tiger burning bright '' in 1962 .
she was also nominated for a golden globe award and a bafta award for the screen version of `` a raisin in the sun '' in 1961 .
