Anna Lee "Boots" Carroll (October 7, 1930 – April 30, 2017) was an American actress, based in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, whose career included dozens of theaters productions, as well as several movies and television shows. Carroll was best known for her portrayal of Nurse Bradford in the 1968 film, ''

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940) is the debut novel by the American author Carson McCullers; she was 23 at the time of publication. It is about a deaf man named John Singer and the people he encounters in a 1930s mill town in the US state ...

'', alongside

Alan Arkin Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...

. Arkin plays a deaf mute in the film, while Carroll's Nurse Bradford provides the dialogue for his character in their mutual scenes. Carroll's additional film roles included '' Not of This Earth'' in 1957 and ''

Marlowe Marlowe may refer to: Name * Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593), English dramatist, poet and translator * Philip Marlowe, fictional hardboiled detective created by author Raymond Chandler * Marlowe (name), including list of people and characters w ...

'' in 1969.

Early life

Carroll was born in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, on October 7, 1930, as the sole child of Frederick L. "Peck" and Ella Corrine "E.C." Carroll.

Career

She began her professional acting career in 1952 as a cast member for theater director James Hatcher's Town and Gown Theater, a Birmingham theater first opened in 1950. She rose to become one of the leading stage actresses in

, starring in dozens of plays and traveling productions from 1952 until her final role in 2015. In addition to the Town and Gown, she appeared in productions by the Virginia Samford Theatre, Birmingham Festival Theatre and the Terrific New Theatre. She also joined the cast of touring theater companies, including Wit's Other End and the Seasoned Performers. Carroll frequently co-starred with actress and writer

Fannie Flagg Fannie Flagg (born Patricia Neal; September 21, 1944) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is best known as a semi-regular panelist on the 1973–1982 versions of the game show ''Match Game'' and for the 1987 novel ''Fried Green Toma ...

, author of ''

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe'' is a 1987 novel by American author Fannie Flagg. Set in Alabama, it weaves together the past and the present through the blossoming friendship between Evelyn Couch, a middle-aged housewife, and N ...

''; the two had first met in 1960 while both were acting at the Town and Gown. Carroll also performed in the film ''Fear No More'' (1961).

Personal life

Carroll performed consistently until 2012, when she fell from the stage during a

dress rehearsal A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ens ...

at the Virginia Samford Theatre in Birmingham. She was taken to the hospital, where doctors discovered a tumor unrelated to her accident. She recovered and returned to acting. She performed her final theater role in 2015. Carroll underwent a second surgery in 2016, while declining health sidelined her performances. Carroll died on April 30, 2017, at the age of 86. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in her native Birmingham.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Anna Lee 1930 births 2017 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Birmingham, Alabama Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Birmingham, Alabama) 21st-century American women