Remembering actress Anne Bancroft
The acclaimed actress was born on September 17, 1931
Remembering actress Anne Bancroft
Most remembered as Mrs. Robinson, film and stage actress Anne Bancroft would have turned 93 today. Born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano on September 17, 1931, in the Bronx, New York, she wanted to be an actor at an early age. But it was only at her mother’s insistence that she abandoned her plans to be a laboratory technician and enrolled in New York’s Academy of Dramatic Arts. She won both a Tony and an Oscar for her role as Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher, in “The Miracle Worker” but she’s best known for seducing Dustin Hoffman in “The Graduate”. Bancroft, who was 73, when she passed in 2005 was married to actor and producer Mel Brooks for almost 50 years and appeared in three of his movies. It was she who suggested he make a musical of his film the producers. Despite her disappointment at the focus on The Graduate, she nevertheless valued her performance. “Film critics said I gave a voice to the fear we all have,” she said in 2003, “that we’ll reach a certain point in our lives, look around and realize that all the things we said we’d do and become will never come to be and that we’re ordinary.”
Life and Career Overlook
One of the most acclaimed American actresses of her generation, Anne Bancroft was born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano on September 17, 1931, in the Bronx, New York City. Raised in a working-class Italian American family, Bancroft developed an early passion for acting. After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she began her career on television in the early 1950s, appearing in anthology series like Studio One.
Her big break came in 1958 when she made her Broadway debut in Two for the Seesaw, winning her first Tony Award. Bancroft’s career skyrocketed when she portrayed Anne Sullivan in The Miracle Worker both on stage and in the 1962 film adaptation, earning her an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Bancroft is perhaps best remembered for her role as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate (1967), a performance that became iconic in pop culture. Though her role cemented her as a symbol of seduction, Bancroft expressed frustration with being typecast, as she had much broader acting talents.
Throughout her later career, Bancroft continued to shine in both film and theater, earning multiple Academy Award nominations. Some notable films include The Turning Point (1977) and Agnes of God (1985). In addition to acting, she ventured into directing with Fatso (1980), a comedy-drama.
Bancroft married comedian and director Mel Brooks in 1964. Their enduring marriage lasted over 40 years, and they had one son, Max Brooks, a writer. Despite her husband’s comic persona, Bancroft was known for her serious roles and striking on-screen presence.
Anne Bancroft passed away on June 6, 2005, at the age of 73, leaving behind a legacy of remarkable performances across stage and screen.
By Ken Warren, 2017/18
Look back at one of Anne Bancroft’s most memorable scenes in “The Graduate” 1967
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