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Shirley Booth Biography

Birth Name:
Thelma Marjorie Ford
Birth Place:
New York, New York, United States
Profession
Actor

Fast Facts

  • Began acting at age 12
  • Honed her acting skills by appearing in some 600 plays with stock companies
  • Made her Broadway debut in 1925 in Hell's Bells, along with then-newcomer Humphrey Bogart
  • Toiled on Broadway for a decade before achieving her first major success in 1935 in the comedy Three Men on a Horse
  • Won a Tony for Come Back, Little Sheba in 1950, and won an Oscar for reprising the character in the film adaptation two years later; was the first actress to win both awards for the same role
  • Come Back, Little Sheba was her first movie, and she only appeared in three other films

Awards

  • 1964Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series: nominated
  • 1964Golden Globe-Actress in a Television Series: nominated
  • 1963Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series: winner
  • 1962Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series: winner
  • 1955BAFTA Film Awards-Best Foreign Actress: nominated
  • 1954BAFTA Film Awards-Best Foreign Actress: nominated
  • 1953Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: winner
  • 1952Oscar-Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: winner
  • 1952National Board of Review-Best Foreign Film: winner
  • 1952New York Film Critics Circle-Best Actress: winner

Relationships

  • Albert James Ford -- Father
  • William Baker -- Husband (deceased)
  • Virginia Wright Ford -- Mother
  • Jean Ford Coe -- Sister