Glynis Johns, Who Played Mrs. Banks in ‘Mary Poppins,’ Dies at 100

Johns, the upbeat leading lady with the British charm who starred as the spirited feminist mother Banks in , has died. She was 100. Johns lived in West Hollywood and died Thursday of natural causes, her publicist Mitch Clem WABC TV. A multitalented actress, dancer, pianist and singer, Johns earned a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for playing the widowed saloon and hotel owner Mrs.

Firth in Fred Australia set (1960). Plus, she memorably sang “Send in the Clowns,” which Stephen wrote just for her, in her Tony Award winning performance as Desiree in the original 1973 production of . The husky voiced Johns was nominated for a Golden Globe for portraying a daffy older socialite who is stirred by the young stud she meets on the beach in a then controversial film about sex, (1962).

A year later, she starred in her own short lived CBS sitcom, , in which she played a mystery writer and amateur sleuth, and later, she was Lady Penelope opposite Rudy as Lord on the last season of ABC’s . Walt Disney himself loved Johns’ sparkling onscreen persona and recruited her to play Mrs. Banks, who needs a nanny ( ) to take care of her two children, in (1964).

In the film, she memorable performs the song Of Welsh heritage, Johns — whose father was Johns (best known as the fearful Bob in 1951’s ) — made her early movie mark in light British fantasies. In (1948), (1949) and (1954), she played a flirtatious mermaid who get involved with real life romances.

On the strength of her popularity, she ventured to Hollywood, where she portrayed Mary Tudor in and the wife of a Scottish freedom fighter in , two Disney films that also starred Richard Todd and were released in 1953. She also played Maid Jean, Danny Kaye’s love interest, in (1955), also starring Angela and Basil .

Johns was born Oct. 5, 1923, in Pretoria, South Africa. Her mother was concert pianist Steele, who gave birth to her daughter when she was on tour. After collecting more than two dozen gold medals for dance competitions throughout England and a degree to teach ballet by age 10, Johns made her movie debut in England at age 13 in (1938), a country drama that starred Ralph Richardson.

She later gained recognition for playing the title role in onstage at just 19. In 1944, she appeared with her father as his daughter in , and they also worked together in (1951) and . Johns co starred with , and in (1972), an adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ fanciful story about the village of . She made her debut in 1952 in starred opposite Charles in a 1956 revival of George Bernard Shaw’s and appeared with Rex Harrison in a revival of W.

Somerset in 1989. Johns also played Desiree’s mother in several revivals. From 1988 89, Johns portrayed a senior citizen living in an Arizona retirement community (and the wife of onetime star ) in the CBS sitcom . More recently, she stood out as a sprightly grandmother in ’s (1994) and had similar roles in (1995) and (1999).

Married four times, Johns had one son, the late actor Gareth Forwood, during her marriage to Anthony . When asked by WABC entertainment reporter George Pennacchio in October 2023 what it’s like to turn 100, : “It doesn’t make any difference to me. I’ve looked good at every age.” THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter.