Eileen Heckart

Biography

Eileen Heckart was an American stage and screen actress who worked for nearly 60 years. Born in Columbus, Ohio, she studied drama at Ohio State University. She began her Broadway career in 1943 as an assistant stage manager and understudy for The Voice of the Turtle. She won a Theatre World Award for Picnic and earned Tony nominations for Butterflies Are Free and for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. On film, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Butterflies Are Free (1972) and was nominated for The Bad Seed (1956). She also appeared in Heartbreak Ridge (1986) and The First Wives Club (1996). On television, she starred in The 5 Mrs. Buchanans and Backstairs at the White House, and she won an Emmy in 1994 for Love & War. In 2000 she received a Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre and was named to the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

82years old at death

Born March 29, 1919Columbus
Died December 31, 2001Norwalk
Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
Also credited as Anna Eileen Herbert, Anna Eileen Heckart and Anna Eileen Stark

Movie Career

Films: 12
Career span: 40 years1956 to 1996

Genres

Drama75%, 9 films
Comedy42%, 5 films
Horror25%, 3 films
Crime17%, 2 films
Mystery17%, 2 films

First and latest

Did you know?!

First role
In 1943, Heckart started her Broadway career on The Voice of the Turtle, working as an assistant stage manager and also serving as an understudy.
Behind the award
Heckart won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1972 film Butterflies Are Free, a role she had originated on Broadway.
Behind the award
Heckart took the off-Broadway stage in Kenneth Lonergan's The Waverly Gallery in 2000, when she was 81. Her work in that play earned her several awards, among them the Drama Desk Award.

Eileen Heckart movies on Netflix

The First Wives Club1996IMDb rating 6.5as Catherine MacDuggan
Heartbreak Ridge1986IMDb rating 6.8as Little Mary
Burnt Offerings1976IMDb rating 6.4as Roz Allardyce
Butterflies Are Free1972IMDb rating 7.2as Mrs. Baker
The Victim1972IMDb rating 6.2as Mrs. Hawkes
No Way to Treat a Lady1968IMDb rating 7.0as Mrs. Brummel
Up the Down Staircase1967IMDb rating 7.3as Henrietta Pastorfield
Heller in Pink Tights1960IMDb rating 5.9as Lorna Hathaway
Bus Stop1956IMDb rating 6.3as Vera
Miracle in the Rain1956IMDb rating 7.1as Grace Ullman
Somebody Up There Likes Me1956IMDb rating 7.5as Ma Barbella
The Bad Seed1956IMDb rating 7.4as Mrs. Hortense Daigle

Best known for

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

Top

Heartbreak Ridge1986 Action, Comedy, Dramaas Little Mary
IMDb rating 6.853K votes
The Bad Seed1956 Drama, Horror, Thrilleras Mrs. Hortense Daigle
IMDb rating 7.418K votes
Butterflies Are Free1972as Mrs. Baker
IMDb rating 7.26.5K votes
Burnt Offerings1976as Roz Allardyce
IMDb rating 6.415K votes
Bus Stop1956as Vera
IMDb rating 6.314K votes
Somebody Up There Likes Me1956as Ma Barbella
IMDb rating 7.59.8K votes
Up the Down Staircase1967as Henrietta Pastorfield
IMDb rating 7.32.8K votes
The First Wives Club1996as Catherine MacDuggan
IMDb rating 6.561K votes

Worked with

Eileen Heckart shares two films with Goldie Hawn, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top

Goldie Hawn

Ruth White

Anthony Quinn

Bette Davis

Clint Eastwood

Paul Newman

Hugh WilsonDirector, 1 film

Clint EastwoodDirector, 1 film Mervyn LeRoyDirector, 1 film

Films together

Goldie Hawn2 films together, 1972 to 1996
Goldie Hawn's page
- The First Wives Club1996IMDb rating 6.5Heckart as Catherine MacDugganHawn as Elise Elliot
- Butterflies Are Free1972IMDb rating 7.2Heckart as Mrs. BakerHawn as Jill Tanner
Ruth White2 films together, 1967 to 1968
Ruth White's page
- No Way to Treat a Lady1968IMDb rating 7.0Heckart as Mrs. BrummelWhite as Mrs. Himmel
- Up the Down Staircase1967IMDb rating 7.3Heckart as Henrietta PastorfieldWhite as Beatrice Schacter
Anthony Quinn1 film together, 1960
Anthony Quinn's page
- Heller in Pink Tights1960IMDb rating 5.9Heckart as Lorna HathawayQuinn as Tom Healy
Bette Davis1 film together, 1976
Bette Davis's page
- Burnt Offerings1976IMDb rating 6.4Heckart as Roz AllardyceDavis as Aunt Elizabeth
Clint Eastwood1 film together, 1986
Clint Eastwood's page
- Heartbreak Ridge1986IMDb rating 6.8Heckart as Little MaryEastwood as Highway
Paul Newman1 film together, 1956
Paul Newman's page
- Somebody Up There Likes Me1956IMDb rating 7.5Heckart as Ma BarbellaNewman as Rocky
Hugh WilsonDirector, 1 film, 1996
All films by Hugh Wilson
- The First Wives Club1996IMDb rating 6.5Heckart as Catherine MacDuggan
Clint EastwoodDirector, 1 film, 1986
All films by Clint Eastwood
- Heartbreak Ridge1986IMDb rating 6.8Heckart as Little Mary
Mervyn LeRoyDirector, 1 film, 1956
All films by Mervyn LeRoy
- The Bad Seed1956IMDb rating 7.4Heckart as Mrs. Hortense Daigle

Awards

Seven awards and honors from 1953 to 2000, two of them major.

Top

Eileen Heckart's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Academy Awards
1973	Best Supporting Actress	Butterflies Are Free	Won
Emmy Awards
1994	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	Love & War	Won
Other honors
2000	Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress		Won
1953	Theatre World Award		Won
	Donaldson Awards		Won
	Drama League Award		Won
	Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame		Honored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

Top