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Maureen Stapleton 1925 - 2006

Maureen Stapleton of Lenox, Berkshire County, MA was born on June 21, 1925 in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York United States, and died at age 80 years old on March 13, 2006 in Lenox, Berkshire County, MA. Maureen Stapleton was buried at Troy New York, Family Plot..

Maureen Stapleton

Lenox, Berkshire County, MA 01240

June 21, 1925

Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, United States

March 13, 2006

Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States

Female

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Maureen Stapleton Maureen Stapleton (1925 - 2006)

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Maureen Stapleton's History: 1925 - 2006

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Introduction

Maureen Stapleton was a Major Star and multiple award winner in Theater, Films and Television.
06/21

1925

Birthday

June 21, 1925

Birthdate

Troy, Rensselaer County, New York United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Irish. Catholic.
Nationality & Locations

Born in Troy, New York, to Irene (née Walsh) and John P. Stapleton. Her family was of Irish descent and she attended Catholic Schools.
Early Life & Education

Catholic High School in Troy, NY.
Religious Beliefs

Academy Award-winner Maureen Stapleton was born June 21, 1925 in Troy, New York, to Irene (née Walsh) and John P. Stapleton. Her family was of Irish descent. She was a life-long Catholic despite her two divorces.
Professional Career

Academy Award-winner Maureen Stapleton was born June 21, 1925 in Troy, New York, to Irene (née Walsh) and John P. Stapleton. Her family was of Irish descent. Maureen moved to New York City at the age of eighteen and did modeling to pay the bills. Already a Tony Award-winner, she made her Academy Award-nominated film debut in Lonelyhearts (1958) supporting four-time Academy Award-nominee Montgomery Clift, and Myrna Loy in Lonelyhearts (1958). Maureen was again nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Airport (1970). She played the wife of D. O. Guerrero (played by Academy Award-winner Van Heflin). Nine years later she went on to earn an Oscar for her performance as Diane Keaton, Kristen Griffith, and Mary Beth Hurt's mother-in-law Pearl, in the Woody Allen drama Interiors (1978). Apparently, four times worked as a charm when Maureen took the Oscar home for her performance in which she portrayed the Lithuanian-born anarchist Emma Goldman in Warren Beatty's Reds (1981). Spouse (2) David Rayfiel (3 July 1963 - 1966) ( divorced) Max A. Allentuck (22 July 1949 - 1959) ( divorced) ( 2 children) She did not travel by air or elevator. She traveled by rail across the country, and traveled by ship across the ocean, instead of by airplane. Received the Actors Studio Award in 1980 for her contributions to the theatre. Inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame on April 5, 1981. In 1981, Hudson Valley Community College in her hometown of Troy, New York, named its theater after her. Received a 1975 Grammy Award nomination in the Best Spoken Word category for her recording of "To Kill a Mockingbird". Mother of two children by her first husband, Max Allentuck: Daniel Allentuck and Katherine Allentuck (Bambery). Took over the role of Rosa della Rosa because Anna Magnani (who was old enough to be her mother) didn't speak English well enough to essay the role on Broadway, so this young Irish Catholic from Troy played an Italian on Broadway to critical and popular acclaim! In 1981, she became the tenth performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscar: Best Supporting Actress, Reds (1981), Tony: Best Supporting Actress-Play, 'The Rose Tattoo' (1951), and Emmy: Best Actress-Drama, Among the Paths to Eden (1967). She originated the role of Serafina in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway in 1951 and Lady Torrance in Williams' "Orpheus Descending" in 1957. Both roles were played by Anna Magnani in the movie versions. Stapleton appeared in the film version of "Orpheus Descending", retitled The Fugitive Kind (1960), but in a supporting role. Has won two Tony Awards: in 1951, as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "The Rose Tattoo," and in 1971, as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "The Gingerbread Lady." She has also been nominated four other times: as Best Actress, in 1959 for "The Cold Wind and the Warm," in 1960 for "Toys in the Attic," and in 1968 for "Plaza Suite;" and in 1981, as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) for "The Little Foxes." Is the fourth of four consecutive winners of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar to have the initials "M.S." The others are Maggie Smith (California Suite (1978)), Meryl Streep (Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard (1980). She admitted to having a drinking problem and confessed that she would head for the vodka right after the curtain went down. Liquor was a fixture in her dressing room but she claims that she never appeared on stage drunk. Once joined the Actors Studio, whose members included Marlon Brando who sometimes crashed in her one-room NY apartment. Following her second divorce, she had a long affair with legendary Broadway producer George Abbott that began when she was 43 and he was 81. It ended 10 years later when the director cheated on her with a younger woman. Contrary to popular belief, she was not related to All in the Family (1971) star Jean Stapleton. Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch). Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007). In 1959 she became the first actor to receive an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony nomination in the same year (for Lonelyhearts (1958), All the King's Men (1958), and "The Cold Wind and the Warm" respectively).
Personal Life & Family

Although she played Dick Van Dyke's mother in Bye Bye Birdie (1963), she was only six months his senior in real life. She studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City. Is one of 17 actresses to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony); the others in chronological order are Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Shirley Booth, Liza Minnelli, Rita Moreno, Jessica Tandy, Audrey Hepburn, Anne Bancroft, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith, Ellen Burstyn, Helen Mirren, Frances McDormand, Jessica Lange, Viola Davis and Glenda Jackson. Studied acting under Herbert Berghof and at the Actor's Studio in New york. Was the 86th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Reds (1981) at The 54th Annual Academy Awards (1982) on March 29, 1982. Made her Broadway debut at age 22 in the starring role in "The Rose Tattoo.". Stapleton had an airline phobia and turned down parts that required her to fly. She took a freighter to get to London for "Reds" as passenger boats don't run in winter. Gave birth to her 1st child at age 25, a son Daniel Allentuck on July 8, 1950. Child's father was her 1st husband, Max Allentuck. Returned to work 7 months after giving birth to her son Daniel Allentuck to begin performing in the Broadway play "The Rose Tattoo". Was 5 months pregnant with her son Daniel Allentuck when she completed her run of the Broadway play "The Bird Cage". Returned to work 6 months after giving birth to her daughter Katherine Allentuck to begin performing in the Broadway play "All in One". Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 29, a daughter Katherine Allentuck on October 16, 1954. Child's father was her 1st husband, Max Allentuck. Grandmother of Alexandra Bambery (b. April 10, 1984) via daughter Katherine Allentuck. Personal Quotes (12) [when asked, after winning her Oscar, how it felt to be recognized as one of the greatest actresses in the world] Not nearly as exciting as it would be if I were acknowledged as one of the greatest lays in the world. [on acting] I do a job. I get paid. I go home. Watching Manhattan (1979), it almost makes you forget all the dog poop on the streets. There are many roads to good acting. I've been asked repeatedly what the "key" to acting is, and as far as I'm concerned, the main thing is to keep the audience awake. [finishing her acceptance speech after receiving her Oscar for Reds (1981)] I would like to thank everyone I've ever met. When the curtain went up or the camera rolled, I did the best I could . . . [I loved] the challenge and the opportunity to leave reality behind and become someone else. [referring to her "matronly" casting] I was born old. [referring to her move to New York] I was 17 years old, I weighed 180 pounds and I had a hundred bucks in my pocket. I was invincible. [referring to her "beauty"] I never had that problem. People looked at me on stage and said, "Jesus, that broad better be able to act". [when asked if she thought she was going to win an Oscar for Reds (1981)] Yes, because I'm old and tired and I lost three times before". Looking back, I don't feel I had a choice. For a fat, struggling kid like me, the only way out was to be someone else -- an actor.
03/13

2006

Death

March 13, 2006

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Troy New York, Family Plot.
Burial location
Obituary

LENOX, Massachusetts. -- Maureen Stapleton, 80, a star of the Broadway stage, movies and television, died yesterday morning at home. Born in Troy, N.Y., on June 21, 1925, daughter of John and Irene Walsh Stapleton, she as a 1942 graduate of Catholic High School in Troy. Ms. Stapleton went to New York to pursue an acting career shortly after high school and studied with Herbert Berghoff and at the Actors Studio. She was a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, the Actors Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Actors Studio of New York. She was predeceased by her first husband, Max Allentuck, in 1995. She had been married and divorced twice. She leaves a daughter, Katherine Allentuck Bambery of Lenox; a son, Daniel Allentuck of New York; a brother, John Stapleton of Troy, and two grandchildren. She also leaves an aunt, Jeanette Smith of Cohoes, N.Y. FUNERAL NOTICE -- A memorial Mass for Maureen Stapleton, who died Monday, March 13, 2006, will be celebrated at St. Ann's Church in Lenox at a later date and time to be announced. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in Troy, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to HospiceCare of the Berkshires in care of ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240.

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