Eileen Heckart
Known for Acting · 83 credits
- Born
- 1919-03-29
- Died
- 2001-12-31
- Place of birth
- Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Biography
Eileen Heckart was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. Born Anna Eileen Herbert, her career spanned nearly 60 years. She first became known for her role as schoolteacher Rosemary Sydney in the original 1953 cast of William Inge's play Picnic on Broadway. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the overprotective mother of a blind adult son in Butterflies Are Free, a role she originated on Broadway before playing it in the film.
She often played mothers, including Rocky Graziano's mother in Somebody Up There Likes Me; the mother of a murdered child in The Bad Seed; the elderly mother of an estranged son in the PBS production of the one-act play Save Me a Place at Forest Law; the overbearing mother of the detective portrayed by George Segal in No Way to Treat a Lady; the mother of reporter Jack Stein on the 1990s television sitcom Love & War; the mother of two separate characters on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live in the 1980s and 1990s; and the meddling mother of a jilted wife (played by Diane Keaton) in The First Wives Club, her last film role. She also had a recurring role on the 1970s sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as Mary's Aunt Flo Meredith, a famous woman reporter, which she repeated on the subsequent spin-off series, Lou Grant.
In addition to her Academy Award, she also won two Emmy Awards for Save Me a Place at Forest Lawn and Love & War, and a Golden Globe Award for The Bad Seed. She also received a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in 2000, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She made her final acting appearance in 2000 at age 80 in an off-Broadway production, The Waverly Gallery, in which she played the leading role of an elderly grandmother with Alzheimer's disease.
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Known For
TV Shows (46)
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
The Fugitive
1963
as Sister Veronica
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Agatha Henderson
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Amanda Cooper
Home Improvement
1991
as Elaine Jenkins
The Cosby Show
1984
as Mrs. Hickson
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Jessie Mae / Ruthie
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Nominee / Self - Winner
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Nurse Jenny Freesmith
Ben Casey
1961
Naked City
1958
as Mildred Pepper / Virginia Cort
The F.B.I.
1965
as Mrs. Creighton
Alice
1976
Studio One
1948
as Evie Jackson
Ellen
1994
as Grandma
Highway to Heaven
1984
as Helen Spencer
Barnaby Jones
1973
as Virginia Lennox / Steele
Tales from the Darkside
1984
as Rose Pennywell
Lou Grant
1977
Trapper John, M.D.
1979
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Gunsmoke
1955
as Hattie Silks / Athena Partridge Royce
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
as Stella 'Stell' Charnovski
Cybill
1995
as Marge
Rhoda
1974
as Aunt Lillian Fiedler
Switch
1975
as Annie Warren
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Lucy Baldwin
Murder One
1995
Felony Squad
1966
Suspense
1949
as Mollie / Margaret Quartermain / Mrs. Haskell
Love & War
1992
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Florie / Miss Green
CBS Playhouse
1966
as Janet Ferguson
Flying High
1978
The New Breed
1961
as Harriet Dawson
Banyon
1972
as Mrs. Shaw
Trauma Center
1983
as Amy Decker
Partners in Crime
1984
as Jeanine
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Birdie / Mabel / Kristine Linde / Aunt Hannah Lynch
Play of the Week
1959
as Myrtle
The 5 Mrs. Buchanans
1994
as Mother Emma Buchanan
Backstairs at the White House
1979
as Eleanor Roosevelt
Out of the Blue
1979
as The Boss Angel
Annie McGuire
1988
The Ford Theatre Hour
1948
as Carrie
Kraft Television Theatre
1953
Movies (37)
Heartbreak Ridge
1986
as Little Mary Jackson
The Bad Seed
1956
as Hortense Daigle
The First Wives Club
1996
as Catherine MacDuggan
Bus Stop
1956
as Vera
Burnt Offerings
1976
as Roz Allardyce
Breathing Lessons
1994
as Mabel
The Victim
1972
as Mrs. Hawkes
Butterflies Are Free
1972
as Mrs. Florence Baker
Somebody Up There Likes Me
1956
as Ma Barbella
Hot Spell
1958
as Fan
The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One
1974
as Ma Barker
Zandy's Bride
1974
as Ma Allan
No Way to Treat a Lady
1968
as Mrs. Brummel
Up the Down Staircase
1967
as Henrietta Pastorfield
White Mama
1980
as Three Bag Lady
Heller in Pink Tights
1960
as Lorna Hathaway
Suddenly, Love
1978
as Mrs. Malloy
F.D.R.: The Last Year
1980
as Eleanor Roosevelt
Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story
1993
as Shelly / Shelley
The Hiding Place
1975
as Katje
Joe Dancer: The Big Black Pill
1981
as Sister Clara
Stephen King's Golden Tales
1993
as Rose Pennywell
Sunshine Christmas
1977
as Bertha Hayden
Miracle in the Rain
1956
as Grace Ullman
All the Way Home
1971
as Aunt Hannah Lynch
Ultimate Betrayal
1994
as Sarah McNeil
The Sorrows of Gin
1979
as Rosemary
My Six Loves
1963
as Ethel
The Trip to Bountiful
1953
as Jessie Mae Watts
Games Mother Never Taught You
1982
as Martha Brewster
A Doll's House
1959
as Kristine
Table Settings
1982
The Little Foxes
1956
as Birdie
Stuck with Each Other
1989
as Fay Cass
The Honeymooners Christmas Special
1978
as Mildred
The Tree
1969
as Sally Dunning
Wedding Band
1974
as Herman's Mother
About Eileen Heckart
Eileen Heckart was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. Born Anna Eileen Herbert, her career spanned nearly 60 years. She first became known for her role as schoolteacher Rosemary Sydney in the original 1953 cast of William Inge's play Picnic on Broadway. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the overprotective mother of a blind adult son in Butterflies Are Free, a role she originated on Broadway before playing it in the film. She often played mothers, including Rocky Graziano's mother in… With 83 credits spanning from 1948 to 1996, Eileen Heckart has appeared in 37 films and 46 TV shows.
Fans searching for Eileen Heckart movies, Eileen Heckart filmography, or the latest projects starring Eileen Heckart can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Eileen Heckart Movies
- Heartbreak Ridge (1986) — as Little Mary Jackson
- The Bad Seed (1956) — as Hortense Daigle
- The First Wives Club (1996) — as Catherine MacDuggan
- Bus Stop (1956) — as Vera
- Burnt Offerings (1976) — as Roz Allardyce
Where to Watch Eileen Heckart Films
Most Eileen Heckart movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Eileen Heckart, check our movies catalogue and browse page.