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Anna Lee

Biography

The daughter of a clergyman, Anna Lee was born Joan Boniface Winnifrith and encouraged to pursue an acting career by her father. After training at London's Royal Albert Hall, she took to the boards and later began appearing in English films, first as an extra, then working her way up to featured parts and finally earning the unofficial title "Queen of the Quota Quickies." Lee and her husband, director Robert Stevenson, relocated to Hollywood in the late 1930s, and Lee began starring in stateside productions as well as becoming a fixture of the John Ford stock company (she appeared in How Green Was My Valley (1941), Fort Apache (1948) and a half-dozen others). In 1970, she became the seventh wife of novelist, poet and playwright Robert Nathan (Portrait of Jennie (1948), The Bishop's Wife (1947)); they married three months after they met. Now widowed, Lee soldiers on, regularly playing wealthy Lila Quartermaine on the TV soaper General Hospital (1963).

91years old at death

  • Born Kent
  • Died Beverly Hills
  • Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
  • Joan Boniface Winnifrith (birth name)

Movie Career

Films
19
Career span
31 years1936 to 1967

Genres

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  1. First role

    Lee made her screen debut in His Lordship in 1932, a bit part she took at age 19, after training at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art at the Royal Albert Hall.

Anna Lee movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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  1. How Green Was My Valley1941 Drama, Familyas Bronwyn

    IMDb rating 7.730K votes

  2. The Sound of Music1965 Biography, Drama, Family, Musical, Romanceas Sister Margaretta

    IMDb rating 8.1295K votes

  3. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?1962as Mrs. Bates

    IMDb rating 8.068K votes

  4. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir1947as Mrs. Miles Fairley

    IMDb rating 7.822K votes

  5. Hangmen Also Die!1943as Masha Novotny

    IMDb rating 7.47.5K votes

  6. Bedlam1946as Nell Bowen

    IMDb rating 6.84.8K votes

  7. Fort Apache1948as Mrs. Emily Collingwood

    IMDb rating 7.422K votes

  8. Flying Tigers1942as Brooke Elliott

    IMDb rating 6.74.6K votes

Most often with

John Ford directed seven of these films. John Wayne appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Films together

Awards

Three awards and honors, one of them major.

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Anna Lee's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Emmy Awards
Daytime Emmy AwardWon
Other honors
Member of the Order of the British EmpireWon
Star on Hollywood Walk of FameHonored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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