Jo Van Fleet
Biography
Jo Van Fleet was an American actress of stage, film and television whose career spanned more than four decades, and she was often cast as women far older than her real age. She grew up in Oakland, California, finished her studies at Berkeley in 1936, taught high school for a time and then trained in New York with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Her professional stage work began in 1944 with Uncle Harry in Washington, D.C., and she went on to Broadway roles in Shakespeare. In 1954 she won a Tony for The Trip to Bountiful, and Elia Kazan soon cast her in her screen debut, East of Eden (1955), as the mother of James Dean's character; critics praised her, and she took the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Later films included The Rose Tattoo (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Wild River (1960), Cinderella (1965) and Cool Hand Luke (1967), along with extensive television work.
80years old at death
- Born Oakland
- Died Queens
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- Also credited as Catherine Josephine Van Fleet
Movie Career
- Films
- 11
- Career span
- 18 years1955 to 1973
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Getting ready for a role
Van Fleet was 44 when she played Ella, the 89-year-old Garth family matriarch in Wild River, and spent five hours each morning in make-up for the part.
A change of course
Van Fleet earned her degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1936, studying many subjects, and afterward taught at a high school in Morro Bay, California for several years.
Early training
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Van Fleet kept honing her skills by studying at the Actors Studio in New York with Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg.
First role
Van Fleet's professional stage career started in 1944, when she played Miss Phipps in Uncle Harry at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., and she stood out right away in that part.
Jo Van Fleet movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Elia Kazan directed two of these films, Daniel Mann two. Five actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Dennis Hopper's page
Burt Lancaster's page
Jay C. Flippen's page
Leigh Taylor-Young's page
Richard Davalos's page
All films by Elia Kazan
Daniel MannDirector, 2 films, 1955
All films by Daniel Mann
Awards
Four awards and honors from 1954 to 1956, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1956 | Best Supporting Actress | East of Eden | Won |
| Tony Awards | |||
| 1954 | Best Featured Actress in a Play | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| Donaldson Awards | Won | ||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.