American actress Maureen Stapleton worked in movies, on TV, and on stage. In the epic film “Reds,” she played Emma Goldman, an anarchist, and won an Oscar for best-supporting actress for her role. The first Broadway show she was in was “The Playboy of the Western World.” In the play “The Rose Tattoo,” she played an Italian-American widow named Serafina. For this role, she won her first Tony Award. With her role in “Plaza Suite,” she proved that she was a serious actress. After being in plays like “27 Wagons Full of Cotton” and “Orpheus Descending,” she was in successful movies like “Lonelyhearts.” In this movie, she gives a great performance as a woman who lies to get men. She also won a number of important awards for her realistic acting in the movie “Reds.” In movies like “Interiors,” she got a lot of attention as a versatile actress. In the movie “Cocoon,” she played an old woman. She also made a name for herself in the world of television by appearing in shows like “Last Wish.” Besides that, she has also been in the TV shows “Playhouse 90” and “Medic.” She was put into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1995, she wrote a book about her life called “A Hell of a Life.” Her last movie was called “Living and Dining.”
Early years and childhood
She was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, and raised in a strict Irish-American Catholic family. When Maureen was five, her mother was left by her alcoholic father, John P. Stapleton.
She went to Troy High School when she was young. When she was eighteen and moved to New York, she went to Herbert Berghof’s acting school. She also used to work as a waitress when she wasn’t taking acting classes. She also did some work for artists while she was naked for a short time.
Maureen Stapleton’s Career
Her first show on Broadway was a revival of “The Playboy of the Western World,” in which she played a small part. Later, she was in “Bird Cage,” which was led by Harold Clurman.
When she joined the Actors Studio in 1947, she met young actors like Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. The year 1950 was a big step in her career as an actress.
In that same year, she played the main role in the play “The Rose Tattoo” with Eli Wallach. She was in “27 Wagons Full of Cotton” in 1955. The next year, she was in a play called “Orpheus Descending.” Author Tennessee Williams wrote both of these plays.
“Lonelyhearts,” which came out in 1958, was her first role in a Hollywood movie. In the 1970 movie “Airport,” she showed the emotional turmoil of a woman whose crazy husband is planning to blow up an airplane. The movie was very popular.
In the 1975 TV movie “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom,” she played an old, lonely widow who fell in love with a mailman she met at a dance hall.
In 1978, she was nominated for an Oscar because of her role as Pearl in the movie Interiors. In the 1985 movie “Cocoon,” she plays an old woman who gets her youth back after meeting aliens from outer space.
She moved to Lenox, Massachusetts, later. In 1992, she played a woman with ovarian cancer who was about to die on the TV show “Last Wish.” Her movie “The Last Good Time” came out in 1994.
She played the role of Ida Cutler in this movie. In 1997, she played a role in the romantic comedy movie “Addicted to Love.” The last movie she was in was “Living and Dining,” which came out in 2003.
Her Works of note
In the play “The Rose Tattoo,” she played the part of an Italian-American widow with great skill. In February of 1951, this play was put on for the first time. She became well-known right away as an actress because of how subtly she showed the widow’s roughness and emotional turmoil.
Awards & Achievements
Because of how well she played a supporting role in the movie “Lonelyhearts,” she was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.
Her first Emmy Award was for the 1967 movie “Among the Paths to Eden.” Her second Emmy was for a TV movie called “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.”
In the movie “Reds,” she played the role of Emma Goldman, an anarchist, and writer, very well. This earned her an Oscar for best-supporting actress. The movie came out in 1981.
Personal History and Legacies
After playing a stressful character in the play “The Rose Tattoo,” she started drinking. She was getting help from a doctor for her anxiety. She was also scared to use elevators and fly on planes.
She got married to Max Allentuck, who ran a theater company. She had two kids with Max, Daniel, and Katharine. After her marriage to Max ended, she fell in love with David Rayfiel, a playwright, and later married him.
At that time, she drank a lot because she felt guilty and worried about her breakup with Max. Only three years passed while she was married to David.
At the age of 43, she was dating 81-year-old Broadway director George Abbott. After ten years, they broke up. At the age of 80, she died because of problems with her lungs.
Estimated Net worth
Maureen is one of the wealthiest movie stars and is on the list of the most popular movie stars. Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider all say that Maureen Stapleton is worth about $126 million.
Trivia
Paranoia was found in this famous American actress. She was afraid that someone in the crowd would kill her while she was on stage.