TONY Award-winning actor Glynis Johns, who famously appeared in the Disney film Mary Poppins, has died.
Johns, who played Mrs. Winifred Banks in the hit 1964 film that starred Julie Andrews in the title role, was 100.
Johns' publicist, Mitch Clem, confirmed her death to Los Angeles ABC affiliate KABC.
She died of natural causes and was living in West Hollywood, California, Clem said.
Johns was recruited by Walt Disney himself to play Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, in which she sang the song Sister Suffragette.
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Before playing Mrs. Banks, Johns appeared in two other Disney movies released in 1953: The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue.
Johns went on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the 1960 film The Sundowners.
In addition to her film work, Johns won the 1973 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for originating the role of Desiree Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.
Sondheim wrote the character's signature song, Send in the Clowns, just for Johns.
In a 2005 interview, Sondheim revealed more about the process of writing the song specifically for Johns' "silvery voice."
"I wrote it for her voice, because she couldn’t sustain notes. Wasn’t that kind of singing voice," the composer explained to the Academy of Achievement.
"I wouldn’t have written a song so quickly if I hadn’t known the actress."
STORIED CAREER
Born in South Africa in 1923, Johns was the daughter of concert pianist Alys Steele and actor Mervyn Johns.
Johns began her career in England, appearing in her first film at age 13 and taking on the title role in a stage production of Peter Pan at age 19.
In 1944, Johns appeared alongside her father in the film The Halfway House.
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The duo went on to appear in two other films together: The Magic Box in 1951 and then her Oscar-nominated turn in The Sundowners.
Early on in her film career, Johns appeared in three films as a flirtatious mermaid: 1948's Miranda, 1949's Helter Skelter, and 1954's Mad About Men.
Her final two films were While You Were Sleeping and Superstar.
Johns made her Broadway debut in 1952, originating the title role in Gertie.
She went on to appear in several other Main Stem productions throughout her career, including a revival of The Circle in 1989 opposite Rex Harrison.
Johns also appeared in various television shows, including the last season of Batman on ABC and the CBS sitcom Coming of Age.
She even had her own self-titled CBS sitcom in 1963.
In 1998, Johns was named a Disney legend and was the oldest living legend until she died.
Johns was married four times and had one son, the late actor Gareth Forwood.
