| Biography | Constance Cummings, CBE (May 15, 1910 November 23, 2005) was an American actress, known for her work on both screen and stage.
Cummings was born Constance Halverstadt in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Kate Logan (née Cummings), a concert soprano, and Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer. She began as a stage actress, landing her first role on Broadway by the age of 18. While appearing on Broadway, she was discovered by Samuel Goldwyn, who brought her to Hollywood in 1931. Between 1931 and 1934, Cummings appeared in more than twenty films, including the Harold Lloyd films Movie Crazy and American Madness, directed by Frank Capra.
She was married to the playwright and screenwriter Benn Levy (MBE) from 1933 until his death in 1973. Cummings was uncomfortable in Hollywood and moved to England, where she continued acting, both in movies and on the stage. Few of her films were hits in the U.S., although Blithe Spirit, adapted from the Noël Coward play, was popular. Levy went on to write and direct films for Cummings, such as The Jealous God (1939); he also served in the United Kingdom Parliament from 1945-50 as the Labour MP for Eton and Slough. They had a son and a daughter.
She played Mary Tyrone in the Royal National Theatre's production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night opposite Sir Laurence Olivier, to great acclaim, and later recreated the role for a television production. In 1979, she won a Tony Award for Best Actress for her performance as Emily Stilson in the drama Wings (written by Arthur Kopit), a play about a woman (Stilson), a former aviator who has suffered a stroke, from which she struggles to recover.
On January 1, 1974, Cummings, who resided in the UK for many decades until her death, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her contributions to the British entertainment industry.
She was a committee member of the Royal Court Theatre and the Arts Council. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6211 Hollywood Blvd.
Constance Cummings Levy died on November 23, 2005, aged 95, from natural causes. |