Actress Glynis Johns, known for her role as suffragette Mrs. Winifred Banks in the 1964 film “Mary Poppins,” has died.
According to Variety, Johns died on Thursday in an assisted living home, her manager Mitch Clem confirmed. He remembered Johns as a woman who “powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives,” in a statement.
“She entered my life early in my career and set a very high bar on how to navigate this industry with grace, class, and truth. Your own truth. Her light shined very brightly for 100 years,” he continued.
Additionally, Clem said, “She had a wit that could stop you in your tracks powered by a heart that loved deeply and purely.”
“Today is a somber day for Hollywood. Not only do we mourn the passing of our dear Glynis, but we mourn the end of the golden age of Hollywood,” he shared.
Clem told The Associated Press that the South African native died of natural causes. She was 100 years old.
“She is the last of the last of old Hollywood,” he noted.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney, who co-founded Walt Disney Productions alongside his brother, Roy, chose Johns for the role of Mrs. Banks in “Mary Poppins” because he loved her “sparkling onscreen persona.”
In 1973, Johns won a Tony Award for Lead Actress in a Musical for her role as Desiree Armfeldt in the original Broadway production show for Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” per Variety.
In 1960, she was nominated for her supporting role in the 1960 film “The Sundowners.”
During her last interview with ABC7, celebrating her 100th birthday, Johns shared her feelings about aging.
“It doesn’t make any difference to me. I’ve looked good at every age.”
