Husky-voiced Glynis Johns spent twenty years in British cinema before heading to Hollywood. Even so, we lost her too soon.
She was born in South Africa to actor Mervyn Johns and pianist Alys Maude Steele-Payne. With such a talented family it was natural that she would enter the business early. She was appearing in the West End by the mid-30s and started in films with the plum role of Midge in South Riding. This big hit established her as an up-and-coming starlet with credible acting skills.
She grew up on screen over the next few years, but it took Miranda to make her a star. Her gift for comedy and her sexy innocence made this tale of a mermaid falling for a mortal irresistible. She appeared opposite Dirk Bogarde in Dear Mr Prohack the following year and soon her first husband Anthony Forwood left her to be Bogarde's 'manager'.
The 50s were a busy period for her professionally. She met husband number two when she went to Broadway in 1952. After that it was only a matter of time before she moved across the Atlantic permanently. Before then she divided her time between the two countries. Once she made the move her career seemed to stall with some TV guest-starring roles, a short-lived sitcom, and a few disappointing films. The one memorable film was Mary Poppins in which she played the mother.
The highlight of her stage career came in 1972 with A Little Night Music. Playing an aging actress, she got to sing Send in the Clowns and nabbed herself a Tony award.
| 1938 | South Riding |
| 1938 | Murder in the Family |
| 1938 | Prison Without Bars |
| 1939 | On the Night of the Fire |
| 1940 | Under Your Hat |
| 1940 | The Briggs Family |
| 1941 | The Prime Minister |
| 1941 | The 49th Parallel |
| 1943 | Sabotage Agent |
| 1944 | The Halfway House |
| 1945 | Perfect Strangers |
| 1946 | This Man is Mine |
| 1947 | Frieda |
| 1947 | An Ideal Husband |
| 1948 | Third Time Lucky |
| 1948 | Miranda |
| 1949 | Helter Skelter |
| 1949 | Dear Mr Prohack |
| 1950 | The Blue Lamp |
| 1950 | Secret Service |
| 1951 | Flesh & Blood |
| 1951 | No Highway |
| 1951 | The Magic Box |
| 1951 | Appointment with Venus |
| 1951 | Encore |
| 1952 | The Card |
| 1953 | The Sword and the Rose |
| 1953 | Rob Roy |
| 1953 | Personal Affairs |
| 1954 | The Weak and the Wicked |
| 1954 | The Seekers |
| 1954 | The Beachcomber |
| 1954 | Mad About Men |
| 1955 | Josephine and Men |
| 1955 | The Court Jester (US) |
| 1956 | Loser Takes All |
| 1956 | Around the World in Eighty Days |
| 1957 | All Mine to Give (US) |
| 1958 | Another Time, Another Place |
| 1959 | Last of the Few |
| 1959 | Shake Hands with the Devil |
| 1960 | The Spider's Web |
| 1960 | The Sundowners (US) |
| 1962 | The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (US) |
| 1962 | The Chapman Report (US) |
| 1963 | Papa's Delicate Condition (US) |
| 1964 | Mary Poppins (US) |
| 1965 | Dear Brigitte (US) |
| 1968 | Don't Just Stand There (US) |
| 1969 | Lock Up Your Daughters |
| 1972 | Under Milk Wood |
| 1973 | The Vault of Horror |
| 1974 | The Happy Prince (US) |
| 1988 | Zelly and Me (US) |
| 1993 | Nukie (US) |
| 1994 | The Ref (US) |
| 1995 | While You Were Sleeping (US) |
| 1999 | Superstar (US) |
