Glynis Johns
![Publicity photo of Johns, 1950s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/GLynis.jpg)
Johns was born in Pretoria, South Africa, the daughter of Welsh actor Mervyn Johns. She appeared on stage from a young age and was typecast as a stage dancer from early adolescence, making her screen debut in ''South Riding'' (1938). She rose to prominence in the 1940s following her role as Anna in the war drama film ''49th Parallel'' (1941), for which she won a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting, and starring roles in ''Miranda'' (1948) and ''Third Time Lucky'' (1949). Following ''No Highway in the Sky'' (1951), a joint British-American production, Johns took on increasingly more roles in the United States and elsewhere. She made her television and Broadway debuts in 1952 and took on starring roles in such films as ''The Sword and the Rose'' (1953), ''The Weak and the Wicked'' (1954), ''Mad About Men'' (1954), ''The Court Jester'' (1955), ''The Sundowners'' (1960), ''The Cabinet of Caligari'' (1962), ''The Chapman Report'' (1962), and ''Under Milk Wood'' (1972). On television, she starred in her own sitcom ''Glynis'' (1963).
Renowned for the breathy quality of her husky voice, Johns sang songs written specifically for her both on screen and stage, most notably "Sister Suffragette", written by the Sherman Brothers for Disney's ''Mary Poppins'' (1964), in which she played Winifred Banks and for which she received a Laurel Award, and "Send In the Clowns", composed by Stephen Sondheim for Broadway's ''A Little Night Music'' (1973), in which she originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt and for which she received a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award. Provided by Wikipedia