Tandy, Jessica

Tandy, Jessica

(born June 7, 1909, London, Eng.—died Sept. 11, 1994, Easton, Conn., U.S.) English-born U.S. actress. Tandy made her Broadway debut in 1930. She was the original Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1947, Tony Award). In 1942 she married actor Hume Cronyn, and together they acted in such successful plays as The Fourposter (1951), A Delicate Balance (1966), The Gin Game (1977), and Foxfire (1982). Tandy earned Tony awards for her work in The Gin Game and Foxfire. Her notable films include The Birds (1963), Driving Miss Daisy (1989, Academy Award), and Fried Green Tomatoes (1991).

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Tandy, Jessica (1909–94) stage and film actress; born in London, England. Starting her career in England, she first came to act in the U.S.A. in 1930; not until playing Blanche in the original production of Streetcar Named Desire (1947) did she begin to be perceived as an American actress. After her marriage to Hume Cronyn (1942) they were often together on stage, where she was noted for her incisive portrayals of a wide range of modern and classic roles. Her film career never amounted to much until she won an Oscar (1989) as leading actress in Driving Miss Daisy.