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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 21 February 2020
Actress Zoe Caldwell, Tony winner for 'Medea,' dies at 86

By MARK KENNEDY ety of plays in Australia, she
AP Entertainment Writer came to England and got
NEW YORK (AP) — Zoe to tackle a succession of
Caldwell, a four-time Tony Shakespearean roles.
Award winner who brought "I was always afraid of
humanity to larger-than-life growing comfortable, so I
characters, whether it be would jump from job to job,
the dotty schoolteacher whatever I was offered,"
Miss Jean Brodie, an aging she told The Associated
opera star Maria Callas or Press in 1986. "I would go
the betrayed, murderous from Stratford-on-Avon to
Medea, has died. She was a small repertory company
86. and back to London."
Her son Charlie Whitehead She traveled to Canada for
said Caldwell died peace- parts at the Stratford Shake-
fully Sunday at her home speare Festival. In the Unit-
in Pound Ridge, New York. ed States, she did regional
Whitehead said her death theater work at the Guthrie
was due to complications Theater in Minneapolis and
from Parkinson's disease. the Goodman Theater in
The Australian-born actress Chicago.
played in regional theaters At that time, she said she
around the English-speak- didn't turn down any job.
ing world before becoming "It was a heck of a long ap-
the toast of Broadway in prenticeship, but I would
1968, and winning her sec- recommend it to any ac-
ond Tony, for "The Prime of tress," she told The New
Miss Jean Brodie." York Times in 1968.
Among her other charac- Caldwell was born in 1933
ters were Cleopatra, Saint in Melbourne, Australia, to
Joan, Mother Courage and a family struggling to make
authors Colette and Lillian In this June 2, 1996, file photo, Zoe Caldwell holds her award for Leading Actress in a Play for her it through the Depres-
Hellman. As she matured, role in "Master Class" at the 50th Annual Tony Awards in New York. sion. In her memoir, "I Will
she accepted only roles Associated Press Be Cleopatra," she wrote
that offer a particular chal- that she knew at an early
lenge. If she thought, "Oh, "When, at last, the crime is al theater, she had made Almost at the instant we first age that her job would be
I can do that," she didn't at hand, the actress fully her Broadway debut in "The see Miss Brodie, the actress "keeping audiences awake
want to do them, she said dramatizes the struggle Devils" in late 1965, tempo- has found a perfect man- and in their seats."
in 1986. between her hunger for re- rarily replacing for Anne nerism." "I knew this because it was
Three of her four Tonys venge and her love of her Bancroft, who injured her The New York Times said the only thing I could do,"
came in collaborations sons," Rich wrote. "Like the back. Caldwell "flounces onto the she wrote. Despite the
with her husband, Robert gods, we can understand, Caldwell was quickly an- stage like a sparrow with il- family's tight budget, the
Whitehead, who was one if not pardon, the primal nounced for a role as a so- lusions of grandeur." Caldwells were regular the-
of Broadway's most prolific impulse that drives her to ciety columnist in "Slapstick She and producer White- ater-goers, she wrote, and
producers of serious dra- the ultimate act of annihi- Tragedy," Tennessee Wil- head married later that "I saw every singer, dancer,
ma. lation." liams' pair of one-act plays. year. She told writer Rex actor, or vaudevillian who
She cited his influence in her Terrence McNally's "Master The production lasted less Reed that far from push- came to Melbourne."
decision to do "Medea," the Class," which debuted on than a week on Broadway ing her into the Brodie role, She made her stage debut
ancient Greek drama of a Broadway in 1995, was an- in February 1966 — but it Whitehead "wasn't keen on at age 9 in a Melbourne
woman who is betrayed by other joint effort with White- brought Caldwell her first me for the part" until the production of "Peter Pan."
her lover and kills their chil- head. It won Caldwell her Tony, for best featured ac- playwright, Jay Presson Al- Her husband died in 2002
dren in revenge. It won her fourth Tony and brought tress. len, campaigned for her. at age 86, shortly after he
a third Tony in 1982. Whitehead, as producer, Broadway stardom arrived Caldwell added Broadway had received a special
"Medea wasn't a character the Tony for best play. two years later for "The directing to her resume Tony Award for his nearly
I believed in until my Robert She played Callas as the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie." starting in 1977 with a com- 60-year career. Among his
started to talk to me about opera superstar critiques, The story of an eccentric edy, "An Almost Perfect other honors were a best
her in human terms," she cajoles and inspires a trio Scottish schoolteacher with Person," starring Colleen play Tony for "A Man for All
told The New York Times a of budding singers taking pro-fascist tendencies origi- Dewhurst. In 1991, she di- Seasons" in 1962 and a best
few days after the Tony cer- part in the uniquely intense nated as a novel by Muriel rected Jason Robards and revival Tony for "Death of a
emony. "I suddenly under- musical education session Spark. Judith Ivey in "Park Your Car Salesman" in 1984.
stood how a creative force called a master class. The role had already been in Harvard Yard." She was She and Whitehead had
of nature can become de- "A performance is a strug- successful for Vanessa Red- last on Broadway in 2003 two sons, Sam and Char-
structive if it is mucked up, gle. You have to win," she grave in London and would as the Mystery Guest Star in lie. In addition to her two
polluted, depurified — like says as Callas. eventually win an Oscar for "The Play What I Wrote." She sons, she is survived by two
the atom." Then-Associated Press dra- Maggie Smith. also lent her voice to the grandchildren.
Times critic Frank Rich cit- ma critic Michael Kuch- The Washington Post, not- "Lilo & Stitch" cartoons and "I always knew I would be
ed the flashes of sensuality wara called Caldwell "in- ing others had played the appeared in the 2011 film an actor. I am an actor,"
— which she said derived candescent" and said she role, said that "so master- "Extremely Loud & Incred- she told the AP in 1986. "But
from the study of Greek gave "the performance of fully exact is Miss Caldwell ibly Close." being a wife and a moth-
painting and sculpture — her career." that watching her you will She spent much of her ear- er still seems to me to be
and wit that she brought to Already well-known to probably feel that hers is ly career on the road. some kind of extraordinary
the character. those who followed region- the only way (to play it). ... After touring in a wide vari- stuff."q