Madeleine Sherwood
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Madeleine Sherwood (born Madeleine Louise Hélène Thornton; November 13, 1922 – April 23, 2016) was a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
actress of stage, film and television. She portrayed Mae/Sister Woman and Miss Lucy in both the Broadway and film versions of Tennessee Williams' '' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' and '' Sweet Bird of Youth, and'' starred or featured in 18 original Broadway productions including '' Arturo Ui'', '' Do I Hear a Waltz?'' and ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...
''. In 1963 she won an
Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...
for Best Actress for her performance in ''Hey You, Light Man!''
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
. In television, she played Reverend Mother Placido to Sally Field's Sister Bertrille in '' The Flying Nun'' (1967–70).


Early life

Sherwood was born in
Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, the granddaughter of the Dean of Dentistry at
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
. She made her first stage appearance at age four in a church Passion Play. She started her professional career in Montreal when Rupert Kaplan cast her in CBC dramas and soap operas.


Career

Sherwood moved to New York City in 1950 and made her first Broadway appearance in Horton Foote's ''The Chase'', replacing Kim Stanley. In 1953 she originated the role of Abigail in Arthur Miller's ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...
''.
Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...
cast her as Mae/Sister Woman in '' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1954) and as Miss Lucy in '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1959), both by Tennessee Williams. She reprised both roles in the film versions. She became a member of the Actors Studio in 1957 working with Lee Strasberg and was a life member of the Studio. Sherwood appeared in many soap operas over the years, most notably on ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' as Mrs. Eilers and ''
The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas '' Search for Tomorrow'' and '' Love of Life''. ...
'' as diner owner Carmen. She had cameos on ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
'' as a bag lady and '' Another World'' as a befuddled matron, returning to ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' briefly as Roxie Shayne's madame, Diamond Lil. She was featured in one of the last episodes of '' Capitol''.. Sherwood also played Reverend Mother Placido in the comedy TV series '' The Flying Nun''.


Personal life

Sherwood was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Active in the civil rights movement, she worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in the late 1950s and 1960s and went south to join the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). In May, 1963, she was arrested while participating in a Freedom Walk in
Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statist ...
, jailed, and sentenced to six months hard labor, for " dangering the Customs and Mores of the People of Alabama". During the 1980s, she received a grant from the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
as one of the first women to direct short films for that organization (along with Cicely Tyson, Joanne Woodward, and others). She wrote, directed and acted in her film, ''Good Night, Sweet Prince'', which received excellent notices. In the 1970s, she met
Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem ( ; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social movement, social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ...
, Betty Friedan and other activists at the First Women’s Sexual Conference at
Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...
in New York City. From there, she started consciousness-raising groups and counseling workshops for Women and Incest. In the early 1990s, she returned to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and resettled in
Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
, and Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec. She had been a long-term
permanent resident Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such l ...
of the United States, but remained a Canadian citizen all her life. She was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers).


Death

Sherwood died on April 23, 2016, at her childhood home in Lac Cornu, Quebec. No cause of death was disclosed. She was survived by her daughter.


Original Broadway productions

*'' The Chase'' *''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...
'' *'' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' *'' Sweet Bird of Youth'' *'' The Night of the Iguana'' (succeeded
Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...
) *''Invitation to a March'' *'' Arturo Ui'' *'' Do I Hear a Waltz?'' *''Inadmissible Evidence'' *'' All Over''


Off-Broadway – original productions

*''Getting Out'' *''Hey You, Light Man'' *''Brecht on Becket'' *''Older People'' (at Joseph Papp’s Public Theater)


Selected film and television roles

*'' Baby Doll'' (1956) as Nurse in Doctor's Office (uncredited) *'' Decoy'' (1957) (Season 1, Episode 8: "Escape into Danger") as Mary Woleski *'' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958) as Mae Flynn Pollitt *'' Parrish'' (1961) as Addie *''
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 37: "Make My Death Bed") as Jackie Darby *'' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) as Miss Lucy *'' In the Cool of the Day'' (1963) as Party Hostess (uncredited) *'' The Fugitive'' (1963) (Season 1 Episode 2: "The Witch") as Mrs. Ammory *'' The Edge of Night'' (1964) (Season 1 Episode 1.2280) as Ann Kelly #1 *'' The Fugitive'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 14: "Devil's Carnival") as Mary Beth Thompson *'' Hurry Sundown'' (1967) as Eula Purcell *'' The Flying Nun'' (1967–1970) (TV Series) (81 episodes) as Reverend Mother Superior Lydia Placido *''
Pendulum A pendulum is a device made of a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate i ...
'' (1969) as Eileen Sanderson *'' The Guiding Light'' (1970–1971, TV Series) as Betty Eiler *'' The Manhunter'' (1972, TV Movie) as Ma Bocock *''
The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas '' Search for Tomorrow'' and '' Love of Life''. ...
'' (1972–1973, TV Series) as Carmen *'' Wicked, Wicked'' (1973) as Lenore Karadyne *'' Columbo'' (1974) (Season 4 Episode 3: "By Dawn's Early Light") as Miss Brady *'' Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'' (1976) (Season 1 Episode 7: Chapter VII) as Mrs. Hunt *'' Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'' (1976) (Season 1 Episode 8: Chapter VIII) as Mrs. Hunt *'' The Changeling'' (1980) as Mrs. Norman *''
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 ...
'' (1980) as Bridget Leander *'' Resurrection'' (1980) as Ruth *'' The Electric Grandmother'' (1982, TV Movie) as Aunt Clara *''
Teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
'' (1984) as Grace Wensel *'' Nobody's Child'' (1986, TV Movie) as Nurse Rhonda *''The Morning Man'' (1986) *'' Silence Like Glass'' (1989) as Grandmother *''An Unremarkable Life'' (1989) as Louise *'' Married... with Children'' (1993) (Season 7 Episode 19: "Go for the Old") as Joanne


References


External links

* * * *
Madeleine Sherwood
at the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
'
Actors Studio audio collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherwood, Madeleine 1922 births 2016 deaths Actresses from Montreal Canadian film actresses Canadian Quakers Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses Hollywood blacklist Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Activists for African-American civil rights