"Sweet Bird of Youth" with Paul Newman
Posted on 04/22/2020 10:52:14 AM PDT by Borges
Beloved actress Shirley Knight passed away from natural causes on April 22nd at the home of her daughter, Kaitlin Hopkins, in San Marcos, TX.
Standout performances in her over 60-year acting career include: films The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (Academy Award nomination), Sweet Bird of Youth opposite Paul Newman (Academy Award nomination),The Group, Petulia, Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People and Amiri Baraka's Dutchman (Volpi Cup for Best Actress); theatre productions Lee Strasberg's Three Sisters with Kim Stanley and Geraldine Page, The Young Man from Atlanta (Tony Award nomination) Kennedy's Children (Tony Award); and television shows Indictment: The McMartin Trial (Emmy and Golden Globe Awards), NYPD Blue (Emmy Award), Thirtysomething (Emmy Award), Playing for Time and Desperate Housewives (Emmy nominations). In addition to her award-winning performances, (Miss) Knight also appeared in such pop culture favorites as Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Stuart Saves His Family, Grandma's Boy, and As Good As It Gets.
(Miss) Knight was born July 5, 1936, to Noel Knight and Virginia Webster in Goessel, Kansas. She spent her young life alongside her brother Donny and sister Gloria in Mitchell, Kansas, and later Lyons, Kansas, where she graduated from high school. Her education continued at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma, and Wichita State University. (Miss) Knight was the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts Degree from Lake Forest College. During her acting career, she studied with Jeff Corey and Lee Strasberg and became a member of The Actors Studio.
She began her acting career under contract at Warner Brothers Studios in 1955 and spent her early years doing classic television series like Rawhide, Playhouse 90, and 77 Sunset Strip. Over the next 60-plus years, (Miss) Knight never stopped working, appearing in more than 40 different TV shows, more than 75 films, and at least 30 major theatre productions.
(Miss) Knight received numerous acting awards throughout her career, including: two Academy Award nominations, two Tony Award nominations (one win), two Drama Desk Award nominations, four Golden Globes Award nominations (one win), and eight Emmy Award nominations (three wins). She also received many honors from her home state of Kansas, including the Kansan of the Year in 2000 and the Governor's Distinguished Artist Award in 2007.
In recent years, (Miss) Knight had been working on a memoir, traveling with her family, and doting over her rescue dog, Minnie. (Miss) Knight was preceded in death by her husband, award-winning writer John R. Hopkins, in 1998. She is survived by her stepdaughter, Justine Hopkins, and her two daughters, Sophie Jacks and Kaitlin Hopkins.
A memorial service for Shirley Knight Hopkins will be held in early 2021 in Los Angeles. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to The Shirley Knight Memorial Fund at Texas State University: donate.txstate.edu/shirleyknight
She had a terrific role in As Good As It Gets (Helen Hunt’s mom).
RIP
I honestly have no idea who Shirley Knight is - though that may be due to when she was active as an actress.
But all the same, RIP.
Same here. First thought that popped into my head was “she played Hazel” but that actress would probably be 135 years old now.
That was Shirley Booth.
Thanks for fixing my brain freeze!
Hazel is on one of the el-cheapo over the air stations around here. It was actually a clever and well written show.
Photo above. If you are over 55, you would likely remember her.
There is an old photo of her at the source link.
I just saw her recently in an old Law and Order.
That explains it - I’m not over 55! Although I’m not far below that.
That was my first thought too...
Happened to click on “The Group” last night. A very dated film now. She sounds like she lived a wonderful and full life. RIP
Helen Hunt’s mother in As Good As It Gets . . . a fantastic movie
RIP Shirley!
But that was Shirley Booth, TV's Hazel, who would be 120 now if she were still alive.
she played Brooke Shield’s mother in the original Endless Love.
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