Anna Eileen Heckart ( Herbert; March 29, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American stage and screen actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years.

Early life

Heckart was born Anna Eileen Herbert in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. Her mother Esther () wed Leo Herbert (not the child's father) at her own mother's insistence so her child would not be born with the stigma of illegitimacy. Eileen was soon after legally adopted by her maternal grandmother's wealthy second husband, J.W. Heckart, providing her with the surname by which she would be known throughout the remainder of her life. She had two stepsisters, Anne and Marilyn. She graduated from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

with a B.A. in drama. She additionally studied drama at HB Studio in New York City.

Career

Stage

Heckart acted with the Blackfriars Guild and studied for four years at the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

. Heckart began her Broadway career as the assistant stage manager and an understudy for '' The Voice of the Turtle'' in 1943. Her many credits include ''

Picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''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 su ...

'', '' The Bad Seed'', '' A View from the Bridge'', '' A Memory of Two Mondays'', '' The Dark at the Top of the Stairs'', '' A Family Affair'', '' And Things That Go Bump in the Night'', '' Barefoot in the Park'', '' Butterflies Are Free'', '' You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running'', and '' The Cemetery Club''. Heckart won the 1953 Theatre World Award for ''Picnic''. Her nominations include Tony Award nominations for ''Butterflies Are Free'', ''Invitation to a March'', and ''The Dark at the Top of the Stairs''. In 2000, at age 81, she appeared off-Broadway in Kenneth Lonergan's '' The Waverly Gallery''. For this performance, she won several awards, including the

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Drama League Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award. That same year, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame and received an honorary

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a 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 ...

for lifetime achievement. She was granted three honorary doctorates by Sacred Heart University, Niagara University, and Ohio State University.

Film and television

Heckart's television debut came in the mid-1940s when she had two lines in an episode of ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...

''.

Heckart won the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

for her work in the 1972 movie adaptation of '' Butterflies Are Free'' and was nominated in 1957 for her performance as the bereaved, besotted Mrs. Daigle in '' The Bad Seed'' (1956), both of which were roles Heckart originated on Broadway. Heckart appeared in '' The Hiding Place'' (1976) as nurse, "Katje", working inside "Kamp Vught", the Dutch Concentration Camp. In 1977, Heckart played Bertha Hayden, mother of Sam Hayden in NBC's made for TV Christmas movie, "Sunshine Christmas". 1n 1978, Heckart appeared in the Resorts International Atlantic City New Jersey Christmas production, "Jackie Gleason Presents The Honeymooners", as Alice's mother, Mrs Gibson. She later appeared as a Vietnam War widow in the

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

film '' Heartbreak Ridge'' (1986). She played

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...

's meddling mother in the 1996 comedy film '' The First Wives Club''. On television, Heckart had starring roles in '' The 5 Mrs. Buchanans'', '' Out of the Blue'', '' Partners in Crime'', and '' Backstairs at the White House'' (Emmy nomination as

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

). In 1994, she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance as Rose Stein on '' Love & War''. In 1988, she appeared as Ruth in the '' Tales from the Darkside'' episode "Do Not Open This Box". Her other guest roles included '' The Fugitive'' (where she appeared in three episodes as a nun, "Sister Veronica"), ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

'' (two Emmy nominations as journalist Flo Meredith, a role she carried over to a guest appearance on MTM's spinoff '' Lou Grant''), '' Love Story'', '' Rhoda'', ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'', '' Murder One'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', '' Cybill'', '' The Cosby Show'' (one Emmy nomination as Mrs. Hickson), and many others. She appeared on two episodes of ''

''. In 1965, Heckart appeared as Hattie Silks on the episode "The Lady." In 1969, Heckart appeared as Athena Partridge Royce on the episode "The Innocent". Heckart played two unrelated characters on the daytime soap opera ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

''. During the 1980s, she played Ruth Perkins, the mother of Allison Perkins, who had kidnapped the newborn baby of heroine Viki Lord Buchanan under orders from phony evangelist and mastermind criminal Mitch Laurence. During the early 1990s, she played the role of Wilma Bern, mother of upstate Pennsylvania mob boss Carlo Hesser and his meek twin, Mortimer Bern. She appeared in the 1954 legal drama ''

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

'', based on case files of New York's Legal Aid Society. She appeared in an episode of the medical drama '' The Eleventh Hour'', titled "There Should Be an Outfit Called 'Families Anonymous!'" (1963), and an episode of '' Home Improvement'', titled "Losing My Religion". She also played the role of spinster Amanda Cooper on season 5 episode 17 in the ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...

'' episode "Dance With Me". Heckart has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 6140 Hollywood Blvd.

Personal life

In 1942, Heckart married insurance broker John Harrison Yankee Jr., her college sweetheart. They had three sons. Her son Luke Yankee is the author of her 2006 biography ''Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up with Eileen Heckart''. In February 2024, Luke Yankee's play ''Marilyn, Mom, and Me'' debuted at the International City Theater. Heckart was a Democrat. She met President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

in 1967.

Death

On December 31, 2001, Heckart died of lung cancer at her home in Norwalk, Connecticut, at the age of 82. She was cremated with her ashes scattered outside the Music Box Theatre in Manhattan, New York.

Filmography

Selected television appearances

* '' Goodyear Television Playhouse'' (1955) ("My Lost Saints") as housekeeper * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1961) (Season 6 Episode 26: "Coming, Mama") as Lucy Baldwin * '' Hawaii Five-O'' (1975) (Season 8 Episode 12: "Honor is an Unmarked Grave") as Agatha Henderson *'' Sunshine Christmas'' (NBC, December 12, 1977) as "Bertha Hayden", Sam Hayden's mother *'' Jackie Gleason's Honeymooner's Christmas'' (December 10, 1978) as "Mrs. Gibson", Alice's mother *'' Out of the Blue'' (1979) (12 episodes) as The Boss Angel *''

'' (1979) (Season 5 Episode 17: Dance with Me") as Amanda Cooper

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heckart, Eileen 1919 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Columbus, Ohio Actresses from Norwalk, Connecticut American adoptees American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Bexley High School alumni Connecticut Democrats Deaths from lung cancer in Connecticut Donaldson Award winners Drama Desk Award winners Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Primetime Emmy Award winners