Tandy, Jessica

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.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.