Jane Darwell (October 15, 1879 – August 13, 1967) was an American theater and film actress. With appearances in over 100 major motion pictures, Darwell is perhaps best-remembered for her portrayal of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, for which she received the Academy Award for best supporting actress.
Born Patti Woodard to William Robert Woodard, a railroad president, and Ellen Booth in Palmyra, Missouri, she originally intended to become an opera...
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Jane Darwell (October 15, 1879 – August 13, 1967) was an American theater and film actress. With appearances in over 100 major motion pictures, Darwell is perhaps best-remembered for her portrayal of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, for which she received the Academy Award for best supporting actress.
Born Patti Woodard to William Robert Woodard, a railroad president, and Ellen Booth in Palmyra, Missouri, she originally intended to become an opera singer. Her father objected, however, and she compromised by becoming an actress, changing her name to Darwell to avoid sullying the family name.
She began her acting career in theater productions in Chicago and made her first film appearance in 1913. She appeared in almost twenty films over the next two years before returning to the stage. After a 15 year absence from films, she resumed her film career in 1930 with a role in Tom Sawyer, and her career as a Hollywood character actress began. Short, stout and plain-faced she was quickly cast...
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