Glynis Johns Obituary

The award-winning actor and alumna, Glynis Johns, has passed away, aged 100.

Born in 1923, Glynis was a pupil at South Hampstead from the age of 8. The photo above left was taken at her screen debut as a teenager, for the film of Winifred Holtby’s South Riding, whilst she was still a pupil at South Hampstead.

From the moment she left school, she was constantly in work, acting on stage and in films both in the UK and America, in a career that spanned eight decades. One of her most well-known roles was Desiree Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, where Sondheim wrote his famous song Send in the Clowns especially for her. The play proved to be highly popular, and Glynis won a Tony Award for her performance of the play on Broadway.

Perhaps her most famous role was as a mother and Suffragette, Mrs Winifred Banks, in Mary Poppins. The film was a hit, with the Sherman Brothers writing the song Sister Suffragette for her. Glynis passed away peacefully on Friday 4th January 2024. She will be remembered for her charismatic persona both on and off screen, and her lifelong dedication to film and theatre.

Read her obituary in the Guardian here.