This page uses content from the Jo Van Fleet biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

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.

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.

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.

External links

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