Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters, born as Shirley Schrift, was an American film actress whose career spanned seven decades. She was born on August 18, 1920, in St. Louis, Missouri. Winters won Academy Awards for acclaimed movies such as The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and A Patch of Blue (1965). She also garnered nominations for classic films like A Place in the Sun (1951) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972), building a prolific filmography. Besides, Ohio-born actress worked in other well-known films like The Night of the Hunter (1955), Lolita (1962), and Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976). An alma mater of The New School, Winters worked in television, including a tenure on the sitcom Roseanne, and authored three autobiographies.

In her personal life, Winters had four marriages throughout her lifetime, with her spouses being Mack Paul Mayer, Vittorio Gassman, Anthony Franciosa, and Gerry DeFord. She had a child, a daughter with her second husband, Gassman. She lived a widely publicized life, with her marriages, romances with famous stars, and participation in politics and feminist causes keeping her frequently in the news. Winters passed away on January 14, 2006, at the age of 85, leaving behind a lasting legacy in American cinema.