Anne Pitoniak (March 30, 1922 – April 22, 2007) was an American actress. She was nominated twice for Broadway's

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

as Best Actress (Play) in 1983 for ''

'night, Mother ''night, Mother'' is a play by American playwright Marsha Norman. The play won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. The play is about a daughter, Jessie, and her mother, Thelma. It begins with Je ...

'' and as Best Actress (Featured Role – Play) in 1994 for a revival of

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

's ''

Picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as precedi ...

''. She is best known for her roles in '' The Survivors'' (1983), '' Housekeeping'' (1987), ''

Hiding Out ''Hiding Out'' is a 1987 American comedy-drama film starring Jon Cryer as a state's witness who disguises himself as a high school student in order to avoid being killed by the mob. Plot Revealed shortly into the movie, Andrew Morenski and two ...

'' (1987), and '' Where the Money Is'' (2000).

Early life and education

Pitoniak was born in

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...

, the daughter of Sophie (née Porubovic) and John Pitoniak. She was a graduate of the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-a ...

Career

Pitoniak spent two years as a civilian actress immediately after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, touring Japan, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

for the Special Services. In ''

'' she played a mother who tries to talk her grown daughter out of suicide. The play premiered at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before moving to Broadway. Pitoniak and co-star

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

received Best Actress Tony Award nominations for their work. In 1994, Pitoniak received a second Tony nomination for her performance as Helen Potts in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of ''

''. She also appeared on Broadway in ''

Agnes of God ''Agnes of God'' is a 1979 play by American playwright John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent cl ...

'', ''The Octette Bridge Club'', '' Amy's View'', ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the dire ...

'', ''Dance of Death'', and ''Imaginary Friends''. Pitoniak performed regularly at the Actors Theatre of Louisville for five years, appearing in plays such as Norman's ''Getting Out'', D.L. Coburn's '' The Gin Game'', and Jane Martin's ''Middle Aged White Guys''. She also worked steadily in film and television, including the 1983 comedy film '' The Survivors'', the 1987 comedic drama films '' Housekeeping'' and ''

'' and the 2000 comedy-drama crime film '' Where the Money Is''. Pitoniak also had a supporting role in the 1985 film version of ''

'', where she played the mother of

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...

's character after previously playing Mother Miriam Ruth in the Broadway version. In 1987, Pitoniak played the role of Mary in the 1987 ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'' episode "Pudd'n Head Boyd". In 1988, she played Cornelia in ''

The Wizard of Loneliness ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

''. In 2001, she played the role of Mrs. Berry in the '' Law and Order: SVU'' episode "Redemption".

Personal life

Pitoniak met her future husband, Jerome Milord, then a soldier, when they were both in a

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

show in Japan. She died from cancer at her home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

at age 85.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitoniak, Anne 1922 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Massachusetts Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni People from Westfield, Massachusetts People from Manhattan Deaths from cancer in New York (state) University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni 21st-century American women