Kitty Winn

Kitty Winn

Born: February 21, 1943
Age: 81
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., U.S.
Popularity:
Biography

Katherine Tupper "Kitty" Winn (born February 21, 1943) is an award-winning American actress. She is best known for her recurring role of Sharon Spencer in the horror film franchise The Exorcist.

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Early Life and Career

Kitty Winn was born in Washington, D.C. As the daughter of an army officer James J. Winn and Molly Brown Winn. Winn traveled widely during much of her childhood, including, time spent in United States, England, Germany, China, India and Japan. Her mother is the step-daughter of U.S. Army General George Marshall.

Her career has spanned a wide range of drama productions on stage, in motion pictures and on television. She studied acting at Centenary Junior College and Boston University, graduating from the latter in 1966. During her college years Winn acted in student productions at Centenary Junior College, Boston University, and Harvard College and summer stock for two summers at The Priscilla Beach Theatre south of Boston. Shortly after college she joined the company at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco where she remained for four years under the artistic direction of William Ball.

In the fall of 1970 Kitty left American Conservatory Theater to play opposite Al Pacino in the film Panic in Needle Park for which she won the Best Actress award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. Although she went on to do several more films, such as The Exorcist, she always returned to her great love, the theatre.

Kitty retired in 1978 but returned to play Cordelia in The Tragedy of King Lear for KCET in 1983. She did not return to the stage again until 2011 when she played the lead in The Last Romance at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. For this performance she was nominated for a best actress award by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.

Body of Work

Theatre

Year Production Location Play Role
1961 Centenary Junior College Antigone Antigone
1963 Priscilla Beach Theatre Curious Savage Florence
1963 Priscilla Beach Theatre Song of Bernadette Bernadette
1964 Priscilla Beach Theatre Night of the Iquana Miss Jenks
1964 Priscilla Beach Theatre Gigi Gigi
1964 Priscilla Beach Theatre Shot in the Dark Josefa Lantenay
1964 Boston University Measure for Measure Mistress Overdon's girl
1964 Boston University Toys in the Attic Lily
1965 Boston University The Rose Tattoo Rosa
1965 Harvard College The Beggars' Opera Polly Peachum
1966 Boston University The Playboy of the Western World Pegeen Mike
1967 American Conservatory Theater The Crucible Mary Warren
1967 American Conservatory Theater Thieves' Carnival Juliette
1967 American Conservatory Theatre Charley's Aunt Kitty
1968 American Conservatory Theater Long Day's Journey into Night Cathleen
1968 American Conservatory Theater Le Misanthrope Celemene
1968 American Conservatory Theater Under Milkwood Lily Smalls
1969 American Conservatory Theater Rosencrantz and Gilderstern Are Dead Ophelia
1969 American Conservatory Theater Charley's Aunt Kitty
1969 ANTE Theatre and American Conservatory Theater The Three Sisters Irina
1969 The Mineola Playhouse Our Town Emily (also with Henry Fonda) Michael York (actor)
1970 American Conservatory Theater Glory Hallelujah Nantelle Bowden
1970 American Conservatory Theater The Rose Tattoo Rosa
1970 American Conservatory Theater The Tempest Miranda
1972 Long Wharf Theatre, New York Shakesphere in the Park, and Mark Taper Forum Hamlet Ophelia (also with Stacy Keach, James Earl Jones and Colleen Dewhurst)
1975 The Phoenix Theatre Knuckle (off Broadway premier) Jenny Wilbur (opposite Perry King)
1975 Ahmanson Theatre Ring Around the Moon Isabelle (opposite Michael York)
1977 Long Wharf Theatre St. Joan Joan
1978 Coconut Grove Playhouse Othello Desdemona
1982 Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis Romeo and Juliet Juliet
2011 San Jose Repertory Theatre The Last Romance Carol

Motion Pictures

Year Name of Film Role Other Actors
1971 They Might be Giants Grace Joanne Woodward, George C. Scott
1971 The Panic in Needle Park Helen Al Pacino
1973 The Exorcist Sharon Spencer Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair
1976 Peeper Mianne Prendergast Michael Caine, Natalie Wood
1977 Exorcist II: The Heretic Sharon Spencer Linda Blair, Richard Burton
1978 Mirrors Marianne Peter Donat

Movies for Television

Year Name of Film Role Other Actors
1970 The House That Would Not Die for ABC Barbara Stanwyck
1972 The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe for NET Harriet
1973 Message to My Daughter Miranda Thatcher Martin Sheen
1974 The Carpenters for KCET Sissy Vincent Gardenia
1975 Miles to Go Before I Sleep
1977 The Last Hurrah for Hallmark Hall of Fame Maeve Skeffington Carroll O'Connor
1983 The Tragedy of King Lear for KCET Cordelia

Series for Television

Year Name of Series Role Other Actors
1973 The Streets of San Francisco for ABC Barbara Talmadge Michael Douglas, Karl Malden
1975 Beacon Hill for CBS Rosamond Lassiter Nancy Marchand, Beatrice Straight
1977 Kojak - "Kojak Days: Part 1" Carla Magid Telly Savalas, Kevin Dobson, Dan Frazer, George Savalas
1977 Kojak - "Kojak Days: Part 2" Carla Magid Telly Savalas, Kevin Dobson, Dan Frazer, George Savalas

Awards

Cannes Film Festival

Year Performance Award
1971 Helen in The Panic in Needle Park Best Actress Award

Trivia

  • Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1971" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 33.
  • Her performance as Helen in The Panic in Needle Park (1971) is ranked #76 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Film Performances of All Time (2006).
  • The cast for Joe Papp's New York Shakesphere in the Park production of Hamlet included Stacy Keach (Hamlet), James Earl Jones (Claudius), Colleen Dewhurst (Gertrude), and Kitty Winn (Ophelia).
  • After a stage absence of 29 years, Winn was nominated for a best actress award by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for her performance at San Jose Repertory Theatre in 2011.
  • Step-granddaughter of General of the Army and Secretary of State George C. Marshall.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]

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