Glynis Johns, who played Winifred Banks in “Mary Poppins,” has died at age 100.
The actress died Thursday of natural causes at an assisted living home in Los Angeles, according to her manager, Mitch Clem.
“Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives,” Clem said in a statement to PvNew.
“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 added.
Clem said Johns 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 concluded.
Johns was a multitalented actress, pianist, dancer and singer throughout her memorable career.
She earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role as Mrs. Firth in “The Sundowners,” which was released in 1960.
Johns also won a Tony when she portrayed Desiree Armfeldt in the original Broadway production of “A Little Night Music.”
Perhaps one of her most notable roles was in “Mary Poppins” as Mrs. Banks, who needed a nanny (played by Julie Andrews) to take care of her two children.
In the 1964 musical, Johns sang and performed the song “Sister Suffragette.”
The mom of one was also known to be a perfectionist about her craft and would often take on complex roles.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in playing the role on only one level,” she told the Associated Press in 1990.
“The whole point of first-class acting is to make a reality of it. To be real. And I have to make sense of it in my own mind in order to be real.”
While celebrating her birthday last October, Johns shared how it felt to turn 100.
“It doesn’t make any difference to me,” she told ABC 7 at the time.
Johns had been married and divorced four times to exes David Foster, Cecil Henderson, Anthony Forwood and Elliott Arnold.
Her only son, Gareth Forwood, whom she shared with Anthony, died in October 2007 following a heart attack.
