Jessica Tandy

Biography

Jessica Tandy was an English and American actress who made her professional stage debut in 1927 and went on to appear in over 100 stage productions and more than 60 film and television roles. She won four Tony Awards, including one for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in the original Broadway staging of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948, and took the Academy Award for Best Actress at 80 for her lead role in Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Born in London, she acted in the West End during the 1930s before moving to the United States, where her films included The Seventh Cross (1944), The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel, and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). Later roles included The World According to Garp (1982), Cocoon (1985), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and Nobody's Fool (1994).

85years old at death

Born June 7, 1909London
Died September 11, 1994Easton
Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
Jessica Alice Tandy (birth name)Also credited as Jessie Alice Tandy

Movie Career

Films: 23
Career span: 50 years1944 to 1994

Genres

Drama74%, 17 films
Comedy35%, 8 films
Romance30%, 7 films
Mystery13%, 3 films
War13%, 3 films

First and latest

Did you know?!

A first
Tandy was 80 when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Driving Miss Daisy, making her the oldest actress to take that prize.
First role
At the age of 18, Tandy made her first appearance as a professional on the London stage, which happened in 1927.
A role that slipped away
On Broadway, Tandy played Blanche Dubois in the original production of A Streetcar Named Desire and won a Tony Award in 1948. The film role went instead to actress Vivien Leigh.
Beyond film
For Caedmon Records, Tandy took the part of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie and Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard. She also appears on Caedmon's Heartbreak House.

Jessica Tandy movies on Netflix

Nobody's Fool1994IMDb rating 7.3as Beryl Peoples
To Dance with the White Dog1993IMDb rating 7.3as Cora Peek
Used People1992IMDb rating 6.2as Freida
Fried Green Tomatoes1991IMDb rating 7.7as Ninny Threadgoode
Driving Miss Daisy1989IMDb rating 7.3as Daisy Werthan
Cocoon: The Return1988IMDb rating 5.4as Alma Finley
The House on Carroll Street1988IMDb rating 6.2as Miss Venable
*batteries not included1987IMDb rating 6.6as Faye Riley
Cocoon1985IMDb rating 6.7as Alma Finley
The Bostonians1984IMDb rating 6.1as Miss Birdseye
Best Friends1982IMDb rating 5.5as Eleanor McCullen
Still of the Night1982IMDb rating 6.0as Grace Rice
The World According to Garp1982IMDb rating 7.1as Mrs. Fields
The Birds1963IMDb rating 7.6as Lydia Brenner
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man1962IMDb rating 6.3as Mrs. Helen Adams
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel1951IMDb rating 6.9as Frau Lucie Marie Rommel
September Affair1950IMDb rating 6.7as Catherine Lawrence
A Woman's Vengeance1948IMDb rating 6.8as Janet Spence
Forever Amber1947IMDb rating 6.5as Nan Britton
Dragonwyck1946IMDb rating 6.9as Peggy O'Malley
The Valley of Decision1945IMDb rating 7.3as Louise Kane
Blonde Fever1944IMDb rating 5.5as Restaurant Patron
The Seventh Cross1944IMDb rating 7.4as Liesel Roeder

Best known for

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

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Driving Miss Daisy1989 Comedy, Dramaas Daisy Werthan
IMDb rating 7.3125K votes
The Birds1963 Horror, Thrilleras Lydia Brenner
IMDb rating 7.6222K votes
Fried Green Tomatoes1991as Ninny Threadgoode
IMDb rating 7.793K votes
*batteries not included1987as Faye Riley
IMDb rating 6.640K votes
Nobody's Fool1994as Beryl Peoples
IMDb rating 7.325K votes
The World According to Garp1982as Mrs. Fields
IMDb rating 7.131K votes
Cocoon1985as Alma Finley
IMDb rating 6.774K votes
Still of the Night1982as Grace Rice
IMDb rating 6.08.0K votes

Most often with

Robert Benton directed two of these films. Hume Cronyn appears in seven 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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Hume Cronyn

Kathy Bates

Paul Newman

Steve Guttenberg

Cedric Hardwicke

Josef SommerRobert BentonDirector, 2 films

Films together

Hume Cronyn7 films together, 1944 to 1993
Hume Cronyn's page
- To Dance with the White Dog1993IMDb rating 7.3Tandy as Cora PeekCronyn as Robert Samuel Peek
- Cocoon: The Return1988IMDb rating 5.4Tandy as Alma FinleyCronyn as Joseph 'Joe' Finley
- *batteries not included1987IMDb rating 6.6Tandy as Faye RileyCronyn as Frank Riley
- Cocoon1985IMDb rating 6.7Tandy as Alma FinleyCronyn as Joe Finley
- The World According to Garp1982IMDb rating 7.1Tandy as Mrs. FieldsCronyn as Mr. Fields
- Blonde Fever1944IMDb rating 5.5Tandy as Restaurant PatronCronyn as Restaurant Patron
- The Seventh Cross1944IMDb rating 7.4Tandy as Liesel RoederCronyn as Paul Roeder
Kathy Bates2 films together, 1991 to 1992
Kathy Bates's page
- Used People1992IMDb rating 6.2Tandy as FreidaBates as Bibby Berman
- Fried Green Tomatoes1991IMDb rating 7.7Tandy as Ninny ThreadgoodeBates as Evelyn Couch
Paul Newman2 films together, 1962 to 1994
Paul Newman's page
- Nobody's Fool1994IMDb rating 7.3Tandy as Beryl PeoplesNewman as Sully Sullivan
- Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man1962IMDb rating 6.3Tandy as Mrs. Helen AdamsNewman as The Battler
Steve Guttenberg2 films together, 1985 to 1988
Steve Guttenberg's page
- Cocoon: The Return1988IMDb rating 5.4Tandy as Alma FinleyGuttenberg as Jack Bonner
- Cocoon1985IMDb rating 6.7Tandy as Alma FinleyGuttenberg as Jack Bonner
Cedric Hardwicke2 films together, 1948 to 1951
Cedric Hardwicke's page
- The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel1951IMDb rating 6.9Tandy as Frau Lucie Marie RommelHardwicke as Dr. Karl Strolin
- A Woman's Vengeance1948IMDb rating 6.8Tandy as Janet SpenceHardwicke as Dr. James Libbard
Josef Sommer2 films together, 1982 to 1994
Josef Sommer's page
- Nobody's Fool1994IMDb rating 7.3Tandy as Beryl PeoplesSommer as Clive Peoples Jr.
- Still of the Night1982IMDb rating 6.0Tandy as Grace RiceSommer as George Bynum
Robert BentonDirector, 2 films, 1982 to 1994
All films by Robert Benton
- Nobody's Fool1994IMDb rating 7.3Tandy as Beryl Peoples
- Still of the Night1982IMDb rating 6.0Tandy as Grace Rice
Also two films together22 more actors
- George MacreadyThe Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) and The Seventh Cross (1944)
- Wilford BrimleyCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Leo G. CarrollThe Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) and Forever Amber (1947)
- Marshall ThompsonThe Valley of Decision (1945) and Blonde Fever (1944)
- Don AmecheCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Maureen StapletonCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Anne RevereForever Amber (1947) and Dragonwyck (1946)
- Felix BressartBlonde Fever (1944) and The Seventh Cross (1944)
- Irving MetzmanUsed People (1992) and Still of the Night (1982)
- Esther RolleTo Dance with the White Dog (1993) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
- Jack GilfordCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Gwen VerdonCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Glenn LanganForever Amber (1947) and Dragonwyck (1946)
- Herta WareCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Barret OliverCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Bob HannahTo Dance with the White Dog (1993) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
- Charles McCaughanThe House on Carroll Street (1988) and The Bostonians (1984)
- Linda HarrisonCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Tahnee WelchCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Mike NomadCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Tyrone Power Jr.Cocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
- Wendy J. CookeCocoon: The Return (1988) and Cocoon (1985)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Box office

What Jessica Tandy's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$583 million

14 of the 23 films have a worldwide figure.

14Worldwide figure
2US gross only
1Never in cinemas
6Figure not found

Top grosser

Driving Miss Daisy1989Daisy Werthan$146 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 94% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Driving Miss Daisy1989as Daisy Werthan
$146M25.0% of the total
2
Fried Green Tomatoes1991as Ninny Threadgoode
$119M20.5% of the total
3
Cocoon1985as Alma Finley
$85M14.6% of the total
4
*batteries not included1987as Faye Riley
$65M11.2% of the total
5
Nobody's Fool1994as Beryl Peoples
$39M6.8% of the total
6
Best Friends1982as Eleanor McCullen
$37M6.3% of the total
7
The World According to Garp1982as Mrs. Fields
$30M5.1% of the total
8
Cocoon: The Return1988as Alma Finley
$25M4.3% of the total

The Valley of Decision (1945), $9.1 million

The House on Carroll Street (1988), $459,824

$36.7 millionfrom the other 6 films with a worldwide figure, 6% of the total

Awards

Eleven awards and honors from 1948 to 1991, six of them major.

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Jessica Tandy's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Academy Awards
1990	Best Actress	Driving Miss Daisy	Won
BAFTA
1991	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Driving Miss Daisy	Won
Emmy Awards
1988	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie	Foxfire	Won
Tony Awards
1983	Best Actress in a Play	Foxfire	Won
1978	Best Actress in a Play	The Gin Game	Won
1948	Best Actress in a Play	A Streetcar Named Desire	Won
Other honors
1991	Crystal Award		Won
	Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play		Won
	Kennedy Center Honors		Won
	National Medal of Arts		Won
	Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame		Honored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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