Shirley Booth
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Shirley Booth (born Marjory Ford; August 30, 1898October 16, 1992) was an American actress. One of only 24 performers to achieve the
Triple Crown of Acting The Triple Crown of Acting is a term used in the American entertainment industry to describe actors who have won a competitive Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award in the acting categories, the highest accolades recognized in American film, t ...
, Booth was the recipient of an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, two
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
and three
Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...
. Primarily a theater actress, Booth began her career on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in 1925. Her most significant success was as Lola Delaney, in the drama '' Come Back, Little Sheba'', for which she received her second
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
in 1950 (she would go on to win three). She made her film debut, reprising her role in the 1952 film version, for which she won the
Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...
and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance. Despite her successful entry into films, she preferred acting on the stage, and made only four more films. From 1961 to 1966, she played the title role in the
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
'' Hazel'', for which she won two
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
. She was later acclaimed for her performance in the 1966 television production of ''
The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
''. Her final role was providing the voice of Mrs. Claus in the 1974 animated Christmas television special ''
The Year Without a Santa Claus ''The Year Without a Santa Claus'' is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final ...
''.


Early life

Booth was born in
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 ...
A copy of her birth certificate reflecting the true birth name and date is located in Booth's clippings file on the third floor of the
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...
at Lincoln Center.
to Albert James and Virginia M. (née Wright) Ford. In the 1905 New York state census, she was listed as Thelma Booth Ford. She had one sibling, a younger sister, Jean (1914-2010). Her early childhood was spent in
Flatbush, Brooklyn Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, ...
, where she attended Public School 152. When she was seven, Booth's family moved to
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
where she first became interested in acting after seeing a stage performance. When Booth was a teenager, her family moved to
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, where she became involved in
summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...
. She made her stage debut in a production of ''Mother Carey's Chickens''. Against her father's protests, she dropped out of school and traveled to New York City to further pursue a career. She initially used the name "Thelma Booth" when her father forbade her to use the family name professionally. She eventually changed her name to Shirley Booth.


Career

Booth began her career onstage as a teenager, acting in stock company productions. She was a prominent actress in Pittsburgh theatre for a time, performing with the Sharp Company. Her debut on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
was in the
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
, ''
Hell's Bells Hell's Bells or Hells Bells may refer to: Music * "Hells Bells" (song), a 1980 song by AC/DC * ''Hells Bells'' (album), a 1980 album by John Hicks * "Hell's Bells", a piece of music written by Art Kassel and recorded in 1932 * "Hell's Bells", ...
'', opposite Humphrey Bogart on January 26, 1925. Booth first attracted major notice as the female lead in the comedy hit ''
Three Men on a Horse ''Three Men on a Horse'' is a three-act farce co-authored by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. The comedy focuses on a man who discovers he has a talent for choosing the winning horse in a race as long as he never places a bet himself. Originally ...
'', which ran almost two years from 1935 to 1937. During the 1930s and 1940s, she achieved popularity in dramas, comedies and, later, musicals. She acted with Katharine Hepburn in '' The Philadelphia Story'' (1939), originated the role of Ruth Sherwood in the 1940 Broadway production of ''
My Sister Eileen ''My Sister Eileen'' is a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney, originally published in ''The New Yorker'', which eventually inspired many other works: her 1938 book ''My Sister Eileen'', a play, a musical, a radio play (a ...
'', and performed with
Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and ...
in ''Tomorrow the World'' (1943). Booth also starred on the popular
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
series ''
Duffy's Tavern ''Duffy's Tavern'' is an American radio situation comedy that ran for a decade on several networks ( CBS, 1941–42; NBC-Blue Network, 1942–44; and NBC, 1944–51), concluding with the December 28, 1951, broadcast. The program often featured ...
'', playing the lighthearted, wisecracking, man-crazy daughter of the unseen tavern owner on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
radio from 1941 to 1942 and on
NBC Blue The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...
from 1942 to 1943. Her then-husband,
Ed Gardner Ed Gardner (born Edward Poggenberg; June 29, 1901 – August 17, 1963) was an American comic actor, writer and director, best remembered as the creator and star of the radio's popular ''Duffy's Tavern'' comedy series. Early years Gardner w ...
, created and wrote the show, as well as played its lead character, Archie, the malapropping manager of the tavern; Booth left the show not long after the couple divorced. She auditioned unsuccessfully for the title role of ''
Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became one of the medi ...
'' in 1948; she had been recommended by
Harry Ackerman Harry Stephen Ackerman (November 17, 1912 – February 3, 1991) was an American television producer, credited with creating or co-creating twenty-one series, seven of which were at one time being broadcast simultaneously. Some of the sitcoms in ...
, who was to produce the show, but Ackerman told radio historian Gerald Nachman that he felt Booth was too conscious of a high school teacher's struggles to have full fun with the character's comic possibilities. ''Our Miss Brooks'' became a radio and television hit when the title role went to
Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 ...
. Booth received her first
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
, for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic), for her performance as Grace Woods in ''
Goodbye, My Fancy ''Goodbye, My Fancy'' is a 1948 play by Fay Kanin. A comedy in 3 Acts and 4 scenes, the work premiered at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario on October 21, 1948 for tryout performances before the production moved to Broadway in New York City. ...
'' (1948). Her second Tony was for Best Actress in a Play, which she received for her widely acclaimed performance as the tortured wife Lola Delaney in the poignant drama '' Come Back, Little Sheba'' (1950). Her leading man, Sidney Blackmer, received the Tony for Best Actor in a Play for his performance as her husband, Doc. Her success in ''Come Back, Little Sheba'' was immediately followed by the musical '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1951), based on the popular novel, in which she played the feisty, but lovable Aunt Sissy, which proved to be another major hit. Her popularity was such that, at the time, the story was skewed from the original so that Aunt Sissy was the leading role (rather than Francie). Booth then went to Hollywood and reprised her stage role in the 1952 film version of ''Come Back, Little Sheba'' with
Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...
playing Doc. After that movie was completed — her first of only five films in her career — she returned to New York and played Leona Samish in ''
The Time of the Cuckoo ''The Time of the Cuckoo'' is a play by Arthur Laurents. It focuses on the bittersweet romance between Leona Samish, a single American executive secretary vacationing in Europe and Renato Di Rossi, a shopkeeper she meets in Venice. Di Rossi, trappe ...
'' (1952) on Broadway. In 1953, Booth received the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for
Best Actress in a Leading Role The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...
for her performance in ''Come Back, Little Sheba'', becoming the first actress ever to win both a Tony and an Oscar for the same role. The film also earned Booth Best Actress awards from The
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, the Golden Globe Awards, The
New York Film Critics Circle Awards The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magaz ...
, and
National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
. She also received her third Tony, her second in the Best Actress in a Play category, for her performance in the Broadway production of
Arthur Laurents Arthur Laurents (July 14, 1917 – May 5, 2011) was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter. After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S. Army during World War II ...
' play ''
The Time of the Cuckoo ''The Time of the Cuckoo'' is a play by Arthur Laurents. It focuses on the bittersweet romance between Leona Samish, a single American executive secretary vacationing in Europe and Renato Di Rossi, a shopkeeper she meets in Venice. Di Rossi, trappe ...
''. Booth was 54 years old when she made her first movie, although she had successfully shaved almost a decade off her real age, with her publicity stating 1907 as the year of her birth. Her correct year of birth was known by only her closest associates until her correct year of birth, 1898, was announced at the time of her death. Her second starring film, a romantic drama ''
About Mrs. Leslie ''About Mrs. Leslie'' is a 1954 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Shirley Booth and Robert Ryan. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 1955. Plot Vivien Leslie, a Beverly Hills, California rooming house owner, reminisces i ...
'' opposite
Robert Ryan Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for ...
, was released in 1954 to good reviews, but was poorly received by audiences. In 1953, Booth had made a cameo appearance as herself in the all-star comedy/drama movie ''
Main Street to Broadway ''Main Street to Broadway'' is a 1953 American romantic musical comedy-drama film by independent producer Lester Cowan, his final credit, in collaboration with The Council of the Living Theatre, which provided tie-up with a number of well-known ...
''. She spent the next few years commuting between New York and California. On Broadway, she scored personal successes in the musical '' By the Beautiful Sea'' (1954) and the comedy ''Desk Set'' (1955). Although Booth had become well known to moviegoers during this period, the movie roles for ''
The Time of the Cuckoo ''The Time of the Cuckoo'' is a play by Arthur Laurents. It focuses on the bittersweet romance between Leona Samish, a single American executive secretary vacationing in Europe and Renato Di Rossi, a shopkeeper she meets in Venice. Di Rossi, trappe ...
'' (re-titled as '' Summertime'' for the film in 1955), and ''
Desk Set ''Desk Set'' (released as ''His Other Woman'' in the UK) is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron from the 1955 p ...
'' (1957), both went to Katharine Hepburn. In 1957, Booth won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work on the stage in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. She returned to the Broadway stage in 1959, starring as the long-suffering title character in Marc Blitzstein's musical ''
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...
'', an adaptation of
Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ga, Seán Ó Cathasaigh ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. ...
's 1924 classic play, '' Juno and the Paycock''. In 1961, director Frank Capra approached Booth about starring in ''
Pocketful of Miracles ''Pocketful of Miracles'' is a 1961 American comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Bette Davis, produced and directed by Frank Capra, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend was based on Robert Riskin's screenplay for ...
'', an updated version of Capra's 1933 comedy-drama ''
Lady for a Day ''Lady for a Day'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra. The screenplay by Robert Riskin is based on the 1929 short story "Madame La Gimp" by Damon Runyon. It was the first film for which Capra received an Acade ...
'' starring
May Robson Mary Jeanette Robison (19 April 1858 – 20 October 1942), known professionally as May Robson, was an Australian-born American-based actress whose career spanned 58 years, starting in 1883 when she was 25. A major stage actress of the late 19t ...
. Booth informed him that she was unable to match Robson's Oscar-nominated performance in the original film and declined the role. Capra instead cast
Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...
, who was unfavorably compared to Robson by most reviewers when the film was released. Booth returned to motion pictures to star in two more films for Paramount Pictures, playing Dolly Gallagher Levi in the 1958 film adaptation of
Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...
's romance/comedy ''
The Matchmaker ''The Matchmaker'' is a 1954 play by Thornton Wilder, a rewritten version of his 1938 play ''The Merchant of Yonkers''. History The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce ''A Day Well Spent'' had been exte ...
'' (the source text for the musical '' Hello, Dolly!''), and to play Alma Duval in the drama '' Hot Spell'' (1958). For her performances in both films, Booth was nominated as the year's Best Actress by the
New York Film Critics Circle The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magaz ...
( Susan Hayward won for her portrayal of executed murderer
Barbara Graham Barbara Elaine "Bonnie" Wood Graham (née Ford; June 26, 1923 – June 3, 1955) was an American criminal convicted of murder. She was executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin Prison on the same day as two convicted accomplices, Jack Santo and E ...
in ''
I Want to Live! ''I Want to Live!'' is a 1958 American biographical film noir directed by Robert Wise and starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent and Theodore Bikel. It follows the life of Barbara Graham, a prostitute and habitual criminal w ...
'').


''Hazel''

In 1961, Booth was cast in the title role on the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
'' Hazel'', based on
Ted Key Ted Key (born Theodore Keyser; August 25, 1912 – May 3, 2008)
''The New York Times'', May 8, 2008
was a ...
's popular single-panel cartoon from the '' Saturday Evening Post'' about the domineering yet endearing housemaid named Hazel Burke who works for the Baxter family. The series also starred
Don DeFore Donald John DeFore (August 25, 1913 – December 22, 1993) was an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' from 1952 to 1957 and the sitcom ''Hazel'' from 1961 to 1965, the former of w ...
as George Baxter,
Whitney Blake Whitney Blake (born Nancy Ann Whitney; February 20, 1926 – September 28, 2002) was an American film and television actress, director, and producer. She is known for her four seasons portraying Dorothy Baxter, the mother, on the 1960s sitco ...
as Dorothy "Missy" Baxter, and
Bobby Buntrock Robert Willard "Bobby" Buntrock (August 4, 1952 – April 7, 1974) was an American child actor. Buntrock is best known for playing the character of Harold "Sport" Baxter on the 1960s sitcom '' Hazel''. Career Buntrock was born in Denver, Color ...
as the Baxters' young son Harold (whom Hazel called "Sport"). Upon its premiere, ''Hazel'' was an immediate hit with audiences and drew high ratings. In 1963, Booth told the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
, at the height of ''Hazels popularity,
I liked playing Hazel the first time I read one of the scripts, and I could see all the possibilities of the character—the comedy would take care of itself. My job was to give her heart. Hazel never bores me. Besides, she's my insurance policy.
Over the course of its five-year run, Booth won two
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for her work in the series and was nominated for a third. Booth is one of the few performers to win all three major entertainment awards (Oscar, Tony, Emmy). In 1965, NBC canceled the series.
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
picked up and retooled the series; Don DeFore (George Baxter) and Whitney Blake (Dorothy Baxter) were written out of the series, while Bobby Buntrock (Harold "Sport" Baxter) remained a cast member.
Ray Fulmer Raymond Stover Fulmer (born February 17, 1933) is an American former actor. He is known for playing the role of Steve Baxter in the final season of the sitcom television series '' Hazel'' (1965–1966). Fulmer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylva ...
was cast as Steve Baxter, the brother of DeFore's character George. Booth, who owned the rights to the series, hired
Lynn Borden Lynn Marie Freyse (March 24, 1937 – March 3, 2015) was an American film and television actress. She was known for playing Barbara Baxter in the final season of the American sitcom television series '' Hazel''. Life and career Borden was bor ...
, a former
Miss Arizona The Miss Arizona competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arizona in the Miss America pageant. Arizona has twice won the Miss America title. The first Miss Arizona, Anna Marie Barnett, was crowned in 1938. ...
, as Steve's wife Barbara.
Julia Benjamin Julia Benjamin (born February 21, 1957) is a retired American film and television actress of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. She is best remembered for her character role as Susie Baxter, the daughter of Steve and Barbara Baxter on the 1960s sitcom ...
was cast as Barbara and Steve's daughter, Susie. In the retooled version, George and Dorothy Baxter have moved to
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
leaving Harold to live with Steve and Barbara. Hazel remains on as the new Baxters' housekeeper. While ratings for the fifth season were still strong (''Hazel'' ranked number 26 for the season), Booth decided to end the show due to health issues.


Later career and retirement

Shortly after the end of ''Hazel'', Booth appeared in the television production of ''
The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
'' that aired on the anthology series '' CBS Playhouse''. She won critical acclaim for her performance and was nominated for another Primetime Emmy Award. Booth's final Broadway appearances were in a revival of Noël Coward's play '' Hay Fever'' and the musical '' Look to the Lilies'', both in 1970. In 1971, she returned to Chicago to star opposite
Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in ''Come Fill the Cup'' (1952) and '' Teacher's Pet'' ...
in a revival of ''
Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...
'' at the Blackstone Theater. In 1973, Booth returned to episodic television in the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
series ''
A Touch of Grace ''A Touch of Grace'' is an American sitcom that was based on the British series ''For the Love of Ada'' starring Shirley Booth and J. Patrick O'Malley centering on a widow who moves in with her daughter and son-in-law and her romantic relationsh ...
''. The series was based on the British sitcom ''
For the Love of Ada ''For the Love of Ada'' is an ITV sitcom that ran between 1970 and 1971. Although not seen on British TV for over 30 years, the complete series began airing again in late 2018 on Talking Pictures TV, albeit edited with certain offensive words ...
''. ''A Touch of Grace'' was canceled after one season. In 1974, Booth provided the voice for the character of Mrs. Claus in the animated television special ''
The Year Without a Santa Claus ''The Year Without a Santa Claus'' is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth (her final ...
''. It was Booth's final acting role after which she retired to her home in
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
.


Personal life

On November 23, 1929, Booth married
Ed Gardner Ed Gardner (born Edward Poggenberg; June 29, 1901 – August 17, 1963) was an American comic actor, writer and director, best remembered as the creator and star of the radio's popular ''Duffy's Tavern'' comedy series. Early years Gardner w ...
, who later gained fame as the creator and host of the radio series ''
Duffy's Tavern ''Duffy's Tavern'' is an American radio situation comedy that ran for a decade on several networks ( CBS, 1941–42; NBC-Blue Network, 1942–44; and NBC, 1944–51), concluding with the December 28, 1951, broadcast. The program often featured ...
''. They divorced in 1942. She married William H. Baker Jr., a corporal in the U.S. Army, the following year. Booth and Baker remained married until his death from heart disease in 1951. She never remarried and had no children from either marriage. For her contributions to the film industry, Booth has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6850
Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...
. After retiring from acting in 1974, Booth moved to North Chatham, Massachusetts, where she lived with her pet poodle and two cats. She maintained contact with her friends via telephone and spent her time painting and doing needlework. In November 1979, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Booth did not attend the ceremony and the award was accepted on her behalf by
Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in ''Come to ...
.


Death

By the 1980s, Booth's health began to decline. She reportedly suffered a stroke that caused mobility issues and blindness. After her death, Booth's sister said she had broken her hip in 1991, which further inhibited her mobility. On October 16, 1992, Booth died at the age of 94 at her home in North Chatham. After a private memorial service, Booth was interred in the Baker family plot in Mount Hebron Cemetery in
Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. ...
.


Film & honors


Television & honors


Theatre & honors


See also

* List of actors with Academy Award nominations


Bibliography

* * *


References


External links

* * *
Shirley Booth infosite

Historic film footage of Booth at the American Theatre Wing Merchant Seaman's Club, New York, during World War II
criticalpast.com; accessed May 18, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Shirley 1898 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American radio actresses American radio personalities American stage actresses American television actresses Best Actress Academy Award winners Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Donaldson Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Tony Award winners Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (Montclair, New Jersey) Paramount Pictures contract players People from Flatbush, Brooklyn 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers