Jo Van Fleet
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| Born: | 30 December 1914 Oakland, California |
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| Died: | 10 June 1996 Queens, New York |
| Occupation: | Theatre and film actress |
Jo Van Fleet (b. December 30, 1914, Oakland, California – d. June 10, 1996, Jamaica, Queens, New York City) was an Academy Award-winning American theater and film actress.
[edit] Career
Van Fleet established herself as a notable dramatic actress on Broadway over several years, winning a Tony Award in 1954 for her skill in a difficult role, playing an unsympathetic, even abusive character, in Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful with Lillian Gish and Eva Marie Saint.
Her first film role, as the mother of the James Dean character in East of Eden (1955), brought her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Her subsequent film work was very sporadic, and included such films as The Rose Tattoo, I'll Cry Tomorrow (both 1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and Cool Hand Luke (1967).
Van Fleet has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to Motion Pictures, at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.
| Preceded by: Eva Marie Saint for On the Waterfront |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 1955 for East of Eden |
Succeeded by: Dorothy Malone for Written on the Wind |
[edit] Private life
Van Fleet was married to William Bales from 1946 until his death in 1990, and was the mother of Michael Bales, who survives her. She died in Queens, New York of undisclosed causes at the age of 81.
