In an industry that values youth and beauty, screen legend Shelley Winters was able to put together a career that lasted more than 50 years. Her secret? She wasn't afraid to play mothers.
Ms. Winters, who died last week at the age of 85, began her career as a blond bombshell, easy-looking eye candy inserted into lightweight fare for her visual appeal.
A master of both the acting craft and the far more difficult art of adaptation, she repeatedly reinvented herself, as a serious actress, as a character specialist and as the occasional on-screen mother. Here's a look at some of her more memorable screen roles:
A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951): Playing against type for the first time, Ms. Winters dyed her blond locks brown and played down her natural beauty to portray Alice Tripp, a dowdy, doomed factory worker in the unwanted corner of a love triangle. The role earned her the first of four nominations for the Academy Award.
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959): This film adaptation of the harrowing true story features Ms. Winters personifying the paranoia that the hidden families undoubtedly felt. Alternately nasty and nurturing, her vision of Mrs. Petronella Van Daan proved powerful enough to earn the actress a best supporting actress Oscar.
NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955): Once again playing the mother, Ms. Winters found herself muddled, menaced and then killed in this frightening film. Although now more than 50 years old, Night of the Hunter still manages to shock.
THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972): Though it might be argued that Ms. Winters' role as a former swimmer battling to escape a capsized ocean liner didn't deserve an Oscar nomination, she does bring a sense of humanity and self-deprecating humor to the big budget epic. Best line: "In the water I'm a very skinny lady."
LOLITA (1962): In a film full of victims, perhaps the most innocent is Ms. Winters' Charlotte Haze. A trusting, if not too bright single mother, she never slips into stylization. It's an honest and uncompromised performance overshadowed, unfortunately, by some of her scenery-chewing co-stars.
Other Shelley Winters films of note include A Double Life (1947), The Big Knife (1955), A Patch of Blue (1965) and Alfie (1966).
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
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