100: Glynis Johns

Glynis Johns turns 100 years old today!

(Johns in 1952)

A Retired Actress, Dancer, Musician and Singer she was born on October 5, 1923 in Pretoria, Union of South Africa (Present-Day South Africa) while her Parents were on Tour there (her Mother, Elizabeth Steele-Payne, was one of the first Accomplished Female Violinists of her time and her Father, Mervyn Johns, was a famous Actor.)  The Family went back to the United Kingdom a few months after she was born.  

John is best known for playing Winifred Banks (the Banks Mother) and singing the song: “Sister Suffragette” in Disney’s 1964 Movie “Mary Poppins.”

Johns made her first public performance at 3 weeks old in 1923 and continued until her retirement in 1999.

(Johns in 1964’s “Mary Poppins.”)

With the death of Olivia de Havilland in 2020, Johns became the Oldest Living Academy Award Nominee in any Acting Category and in 2021, with the death of Betty White, she became the Oldest Living Disney Legend.

Johns is predeceased by all four of her Husbands. The first to die was her third Husband, Cecil Henderson, in 1978, followed by her fourth Husband, Elliott Arnold, in 1980, her first Husband, Anthony Forwood, in 1988, and her second Husband, David Foster, in 2010. She is also predeceased by her Son, Gareth Forwood, who died in 2007 from Cancer and a Heart Attack at 62 years old.

Glynis Johns currently resides at the Belmont Village Hollywood Heights, a Senior Living Community, located near the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California