Jessica Tandy Biography

Fast Facts

• Won an Academy Award in 1990 for her role in "Driving Miss Daisy․"
• Trained at the Ben Greet Academy of Acting for three years, starting in 1924
• Married actor Hume Cronyn, and the two often collaborated on theater projects with great success
• As a child, she was often read to, and she also spent a lot of time going to the theater
• Had to sew five elaborate costumes for her first professional theater part, as she was in charge of purchasing them herself and could not afford them on her meager salary
• Inspired to act at an early age, she would begin her professional career at the age of 18 in London
• Quote: "I've gotten more confident in myself in the last five to six years․ Earlier I think I distrusted myself․ I'd be in things I felt weren't being done right and I didn't speak up․ Now I do․ I think people trust me․"
• Quote: "I must say: If I had known at the beginning of my life that this is where I would get to, I would have said, 'Not possible․ Not possible․'"
• Saw resurgence in her career in the 1980s, especially after landing the Oscar for her role in 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy"
• Upon moving to the United States, she would land several supporting roles in Hollywood films but would gain the most prominence following her role in 1948's A Streetcar Named Desire, after which she would concentrate mostly on stage work
• Became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1952
• Earned a law degree in 1974 from the University of Western Ontario