Elizabeth Wilson

Elizabeth Welter Wilson (April 4, 1921 – May 9, 2015) was a Tony Award-winning American actress. She was elected to the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2007.

Life and career

Wilson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daughter of Marie Ethel (née Welter) and Henry Dunning Wilson, who was an insurance agent. Wilson attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, then studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She made her Broadway debut in Picnic in 1953. Her stage credits include Desk Set, The Good Woman of Szechuan, Sticks and Bones, Uncle Vanya, Threepenny Opera, The Importance of Being Earnest, Morning's at Seven, You Can't Take It with You, Ah, Wilderness!, and A Delicate Balance.

Wilson made her screen debut reprising her stage role in the 1955 film adaptation of Picnic. Additional credits include The Goddess, A Child Is Waiting, The Birds, The Graduate, Catch-22, Little Murders, The Day of the Dolphin, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, 9 to 5, Grace Quigley, Regarding Henry, The Tunnel of Love, Nora's Christmas Gift (made by Bonneville Productions and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), The Addams Family, and Quiz Show. She portrayed Franklin Roosevelt's mother, Sara Ann Delano Roosevelt, in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012).

Wilson's television credits include such early anthology series as Kraft Television Theatre, The United States Steel Hour, and Armstrong Circle Theatre. She was a regular on the primetime drama East Side/West Side and sitcom Doc and has appeared in Dark Shadows, Another World, All in the Family, Murder, She Wrote, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Wilson died at her home in New Haven, Connecticut, aged 94.

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 1972 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play - Sticks and Bones
• 1980 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance - Morning's at Seven

Nominations

• 1957 BAFTA Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Patterns
• 1976 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Threepenny Opera
• 1985 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play - Salonika
• 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special - Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder