Eileen Heckart

Anna Eileen Heckart, born Anna Eileen Herbert, was an accomplished American stage and screen actress. Her impressive career spanned nearly six decades, from the mid-1940s to 2000. Heckart was born in Columbus, Ohio and was later adopted by her maternal grandmother's wealthy second husband, J.W. Heckart, providing her the surname she would be known by throughout her life. She graduated from Ohio State University with a B.A. in drama and studied drama at HB Studio in New York City. Heckart's Broadway debut came in 1943 as the assistant stage manager and an understudy for The Voice of the Turtle. She acted with the Blackfriars Guild and notably won the 1953 Theatre World Award for Picnic. Her other notable roles include Picnic, 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, to name a few. She additionally won several awards, including the Drama Desk Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Drama League Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award. Heckart's film debut came in the 1972 movie adaptation of Butterflies Are Free which won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.