Mary Anne Meacham (July 21, 1925—January 12, 2006) was a noted

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actress of

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

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. Born and raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Meacham left to study drama at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, graduating with a degree in 1947.

New York stage

Meacham debuted on Broadway as Ensign Jane Hilton in 1952's ''The Long Watch'' (written by Harvey Haislip), for which she received a

Clarence Derwent Award The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 Aug ...

, given to outstanding newcomers to the New York stage. She is most famous for her roles on and off-Broadway, most notably in adaptations of plays written by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

, who was a close friend. Williams once wrote an editorial in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praising Meacham, noting "There's nothing she won't say or do onstage without any sign of embarrassment"

. She also portrayed roles in the Broadway productions of ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

'' and ''

A Passage to India ''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by English author E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. It was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th century English litera ...

''. She won two Best Actress

Obie Awards The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

, one for her role as "Catherine Holly" (the first actress to play the role which was later essayed by

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

in the film version) in ''Tennessee Williams'' ''

Suddenly, Last Summer ''Suddenly Last Summer'' is a one-act play by Tennessee Williams, written in New York in 1957. It opened off Broadway on January 7, 1958, as part of a double bill with another of Williams' one-acts, '' Something Unspoken'' (written in London i ...

'' (1958) and another for the title role in

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been can ...

'' (1961). She also appeared in '' The Gnädiges Fräulein'' in 1966, and ''

In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel ''In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel'' is a one-act play in two scenes, written in 1968–69 by Tennessee Williams. Williams, Tennessee. ''Plays 1957–1980''. Mel Gussow and Kenneth Holditch, eds. New York: Library of America, 2000, p. 976. ISBN 1-8830 ...

'' in 1969. Her final Broadway credit was as

Queen Gertrude In William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Gertrude is Hamlet's mother and Queen of Denmark. Her relationship with Hamlet is somewhat turbulent, since he resents her marrying her husband's brother Claudius after he murdered the king (young Hamle ...

in ''

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's ''Hamle ...

'' in 1968. All of her stage appearances after 1968 (including ''In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel'') were

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

Television

In 1962 Meacham appeared as Sarah Lilly on the TV western '' The Virginian'' in the episode titled "The Brazen Bell." On television, she was most famous for playing the eccentric maid, "Louise Goddard", on '' Another World''. She played the role from 1972 to 1982. Meacham's character was most recognized for naming all of the Cory family's houseplants, which numbered well into the dozens. The trademark of the ''Another World'' casting department was to hire heavily from the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

stage, and it was noted by author Annie Gilbert in the book, ''All My Afternoons'', that Meacham was one of the many cast members taken from this genre to infuse strong acting performances into the show, due to her experience.

Death

Anne Meacham died from undisclosed causes in

Canaan, New York Canaan is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Columbia County, New York, Columbia County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,570 at the 2020 census, down from 1,710 at the 2010 census. The town is in ...

on January 12, 2006, at the age of 80. Her death was reported by her friend, actress

Marian Seldes Marian Hall Seldes (August 23, 1928 – October 6, 2014) was an American actress. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' A Delicate Balance'' in 1967, and received subsequent nominations ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meacham, Anne 1925 births 2006 deaths American film actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses Clarence Derwent Award winners Actresses from Chicago Yale School of Drama alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women