Jane Darwell (1879–1967)

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Missouri-born Jane Darwell was born Patti Woodard, the daughter of William Robert Woodard, president of the Louisville Southern Railroad, and Ellen (Booth) Woodard, in Palmyra, Missouri, where she grew up on a ranch . She nursed ambitions to be an opera singer, but put it off because of her father's disapproval (she eventually changed her name to ... See full bio »

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Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins. See more awards »

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Known For

The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath Ma Joad
(1940)
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Ox-Bow Incident Ma Grier
(1942)
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind Mrs. Merriwether
(1939)
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins The Bird Woman
(1964)
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Filmography

Hide Hide Show Show Actress (211 credits)
 1964 Mary Poppins
The Bird Woman
 1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series)
Granny Carnation
- The Jar (1964) ... Granny Carnation
 1963 Burke's Law (TV Series)
Mrs. Leah Mulligan
- Who Killed Eleanora Davis? (1963) ... Mrs. Leah Mulligan
 1961 Follow the Sun (TV Series)
Charlotte Randolph
- The Far End of Nowhere (1961) ... Charlotte Randolph
 1961 Lassie (TV Series)
Mrs. Brenner
- Lassie's Wild Baby (1961) ... Mrs. Brenner
 1959-1961 Wagon Train (TV Series)
Mrs. Anderson / Angie Matthewson
- The Artie Matthewson Story (1961) ... Angie Matthewson
- The Andrew Hale Story (1959) ... Mrs. Anderson
- The Vivian Carter Story (1959) ... Mrs. Anderson
 1961 The Real McCoys (TV Series)
Grandma McCoy
- Fly Away Home (1961) ... Grandma McCoy
- Back to West Virginny (1961) ... Grandma McCoy
 1961 Shirley Temple's Storybook (TV Series)
Grandma
- The Fawn (1961) ... Grandma
 1960 New Comedy Showcase (TV Series)
Olga
- You're Only Young Twice (1960) ... Olga
 1959 Hound-Dog Man
Grandma Wilson
 1959 Buckskin (TV Series)
Mrs. Hale
- Mr. Rush's Secretary (1959) ... Mrs. Hale
 1958 The Last Hurrah
Delia Boylan
 1956-1958 Matinee Theatre (TV Series)
- A Boy Grows Up (1958)
- Singer in the Valley (1956)
- Mother Was a Bachelor (1956)
 1958 Maverick (TV Series)
Mrs. Knowles
- Black Fire (1958) ... Mrs. Knowles
 1958 Studio One (TV Series)
Anna - Maid
- A Dead Ringer (1958) ... Anna - Maid
 1956-1957 Playhouse 90 (TV Series)
Lady on Bus / Annie Jackson / Mrs. Jacoby
- Three Men on a Horse (1957) ... Lady on Bus
- The Greer Case (1957) ... Annie Jackson
- Sincerely, Willis Wade (1956) ... Mrs. Jacoby
 1957 Circus Boy (TV Series)
Mamie LaRue
- Big Top Angel (1957) ... Mamie LaRue
 1956 The Sheriff of Cochise (TV Series)
Mrs. Harvey
- The Shadow (1956) ... Mrs. Harvey
 1956 Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series)
- Once Upon a Crime (1956)
 1956 Cavalcade of America (TV Series)
Minna
- Woman's Work (1956) ... Minna
 1956 Girls in Prison
Matron Jamieson
 1956 My Friend Flicka (TV Series)
Grandma Dobbs
- Mister Goblin (1956) ... Grandma Dobbs
 1956 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (TV Series)
O'Hara's Mother
- Rin Tin Tin Meets O'Hara's Mother (1956) ... O'Hara's Mother
 1956 Screen Directors Playhouse (TV Series)
Lena
- Prima Donna (1956) ... Lena
 1956 There's Always Tomorrow
Mrs. Rogers
 1955 Studio 57 (TV Series)
Carrie Harper / Mom Riker
- Santa's Old Suit (1955) ... Carrie Harper
- Center Ring (1955) ... Mom Riker
 1955 Climax! (TV Series)
Mrs. Koestler / B. Cool
- House of Shadows (1955) ... Mrs. Koestler
- The Bigger They Come (1955) ... B. Cool
 1954-1955 The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series)
Mama Mumby / Mrs. Riggs / Christabel / ...
- The Mumbys (1955) ... Mama Mumby
- Second Sight (1955) ... Mrs. Riggs
- Slide, Darling, Slide (1954) ... Christabel
- The Tryst (1954)
- The Good of His Soul (1954) ... Mrs. O'Connor
 1955 Willy (TV Series)
Katherine
- Willy and Hansel and Gretel (1955) ... Katherine
 1955 A Life at Stake
Landlady
 1955 Hit the Deck
Jenny
 1954 The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (TV Series)
Carrie Harper
- Santa's Old Suit (1954) ... Carrie Harper
 1954 The Loretta Young Show (TV Series)
Irene Townsend
- Evil for Evil (1954) ... Irene Townsend
 1954 Fireside Theatre (TV Series)
- Nine Quarts of Water (1954)
 1953 The Bigamist
Mrs. Connelly
 1953 Affair with a Stranger
Ma Stanton
 1953 It Happens Every Thursday
Mrs. Eva Spatch
 1953 The Sun Shines Bright
Mrs. Aurora Ratchitt
 1952 Hollywood Opening Night (TV Series)
- Josie (1952)
 1952 We're Not Married!
Mrs. Bush
 1952 The Red Skelton Hour (TV Series)
Mother in Mother's Day Skit
- Let's Talk About Mother (1952) ... Mother in Mother's Day Skit
 1951 Journey Into Light
Mack
 1951 Excuse My Dust
Mrs. Belden
 1951 The Lemon Drop Kid
Nellie Thursday
 1950 Father's Wild Game
Minverva Bobbin
 1950 The Second Face
Mrs. Lockridge
 1950 Three Husbands
Mrs. Wurdeman
 1950 Redwood Forest Trail
Hattie Hickory
 1950 Surrender
Molly Hale
 1950 Caged
Isolation Matron
 1950 Wagon Master
Sister Ledyard
 1950 The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
Mrs. Murphy
 1949 Red Canyon
Aunt Jane
 1948 3 Godfathers
Miss Florie
 1948 Train to Alcatraz
Aunt Ella
 1947 The Red Stallion
Mrs. Aggie Curtis
 1947 Keeper of the Bees
Mrs. Ferris
 1946 My Darling Clementine
Kate Nelson
 1946 Three Wise Fools
Sister Mary Brigid
 1946 The Dark Horse
Aunt Hattie
 1945 Captain Tugboat Annie
Tugboat Annie
 1945 A Yank in London
Mrs. Patterson
 1944 Sunday Dinner for a Soldier
Mrs. Helen Dobson
 1944 She's a Sweetheart
Mom
 1944 Music in Manhattan
Mrs. Pearson
 1944 The Impatient Years
Minister's Wife
 1944 Reckless Age
Mrs. Connors
 1943 Tender Comrade
Mrs. Henderson
 1943 Government Girl
Miss Trask (uncredited)
 1943 Family Feud (Short)
The Mother
 1943 Stage Door Canteen
Jane Darwell
 1943 Gildersleeve's Bad Day
Aunt Emma Forrester
 1942 The Great Gildersleeve
Aunt Emma Forrester
 1942 The Ox-Bow Incident
Ma Grier
 1942 Highways by Night
Grandma Fogarty
 1942 The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
Mrs. Mariah Clemm
 1942 Men of Texas
Mrs.Scott aka Aunt Hattie
 1942 It Happened in Flatbush
Mrs. Maguire
 1942 Small Town Deb
Katie
 1942 On the Sunny Side
Annie
 1942 Young America
Grandmother Nora Campbell
 1942 All Through the Night
Mrs. Donahue
 1941 All That Money Can Buy
Ma Stone
 1941 Private Nurse
Miss Adams
 1941 Thieves Fall Out
Grandma Allen
 1940 Chad Hanna
Mrs. Huguenine
 1940 Youth Will Be Served
Supervisor Stormer
 1940 Brigham Young
Eliza Kent
 1940 Untamed
Mrs. Maggie Moriarty
 1940 The Grapes of Wrath
Ma Joad
 1939 Miracle on Main Street
Mrs. Herman
 1939 Gone with the Wind
Mrs. Merriwether
 1939 20, 000 Men a Year
Mrs. Allen
 1939 The Rains Came
Aunt Phoebe - Mrs. Smiley
 1939 Grand Jury Secrets
Mrs. Keefe
 1939 Unexpected Father
Mrs. Callahan
 1939 The Zero Hour
Sophie
 1939 Inside Story
Aunt Mary Perkins
 1939 Jesse James
Mrs. Samuels
 1938 Up the River
Mrs. Graham
 1938 Five of a Kind
Mrs. Waldron
 1938 Time Out for Murder
Polly - Helen's Supervisor
 1938 Little Miss Broadway
Miss Hutchins
 1938 Three Blind Mice
Mrs. Kilian
 1938 Battle of Broadway
Mrs. Rogers
 1938 The Jury's Secret
Mrs. Sheldon, Bill's Mother
 1938 Change of Heart
Mrs. Thompson
 1937 Dangerously Yours
Aunt Cynthia Barton
 1937 Wife, Doctor and Nurse
Mrs. Krueger
 1937 The Singing Marine
Ma Marine
 1937 Slave Ship
Mrs. Marlowe
 1937 Fifty Roads to Town
Mrs. Henry
 1937 The Great Hospital Mystery
Miss Sarah Keats - Head Nurse
 1937 Nancy Steele Is Missing!
Mrs. Mary Flaherty
 1937 Love Is News
Mrs. Flaherty
 1936 Laughing at Trouble
Glory Bradford
 1936 Craig's Wife
Mrs. Harold
 1936 Ramona
Aunt Ri Hyar
 1936 Star for a Night
Mrs. Martha Lind
 1936 White Fang
Maud Mahoney
 1936 Poor Little Rich Girl
Woodward
 1936 Little Miss Nobody
Martha Bradley
 1936 Private Number
Mrs. Meecham
 1936 Captain January
Eliza Croft
 1936 The First Baby
Mrs. Ellis
 1936 The Country Doctor
Mrs. Graham
 1936 Paddy O'Day
Dora
 1935 We're Only Human
Mrs. Walsh
 1935 Metropolitan
Grandma (uncredited)
 1935 Navy Wife
Mrs. Louise Keats
 1935 Curly Top
Mrs. Denham
 1935 Wig-Wag (Short)
Mrs. Winchell - Jack's Mother
 1935 Life Begins at 40
Ida Harris
 1935 McFadden's Flats
Nora McFadden
 1935 One More Spring
Mrs. Sweeney
 1934 Bright Eyes
Mrs. Higgins
 1934 Gentlemen Are Born
Landlady (uncredited)
 1934 The White Parade
Miss 'Sailor' Robets
 1934 The Firebird
Mrs. Miller - Apartment House Tenant (uncredited)
 1934 Tomorrow's Youth
Mary O'Brien
 1934 Happiness Ahead
Mrs. Davis - the Landlady
 1934 Wake Up and Dream
Landlady
 1934 Desirable
Frederick's Mother (uncredited)
 1934 One Night of Love
Mrs. Barrett - Mary's Mother (uncredited)
 1934 Embarrassing Moments
Mrs. Stuckelberger
 1934 Million Dollar Ransom
Ma McGarry (uncredited)
 1934 Blind Date
Ma Taylor
 1934 Most Precious Thing in Life
Mrs. O'Day
 1934 Let's Talk It Over
Mrs. O'Keefe
 1934 Change of Heart
Mrs. Mc Gowan
 1934 The Scarlet Empress
Miss Cardell, Sophia's Nurse (uncredited)
 1934 Finishing School
Maude - Internes' Receptionist (uncredited)
 1934 Once to Every Woman
Mrs. Wood
 1934 Journal of a Crime
Dinner Guest (uncredited)
 1934 David Harum
Mrs. Woolsey (uncredited)
 1934 Heat Lightning
Gladys - the Wife
 1934 Wonder Bar
Baroness (uncredited)
 1934 Fashions of 1934
Customer at Maison Elegance (uncredited)
 1934 Cross Country Cruise
Mrs. O'Hara (uncredited)
 1933 King for a Night
Mrs. Williams (uncredited)
 1933 Roman Scandals
Roman Spa Proprietress (uncredited)
 1933 Design for Living
Curtis' Housekeeper
 1933 Only Yesterday
Mrs. Lane
 1933 Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men
Mrs. Spence - Landlady (uncredited)
 1933 Ann Vickers
Mrs. Gage (uncredited)
 1933 One Sunday Afternoon
Mrs. Lind
 1933 He Couldn't Take It
Mrs. Case
 1933 Before Dawn
Mrs. Marble
 1933 Bed of Roses
Mrs. Webster - Head Prison Matron (uncredited)
 1933 Good Housewrecking (Short)
Wife
 1933 Jennie Gerhardt
Boardinghouse Keeper (uncredited)
 1933 Emergency Call
Head Nurse Brown (uncredited)
 1933 The Girl in 419
Nurse Esmond (uncredited)
 1933 Bondage
Mrs. Elizabeth Wharton
 1933 Murders in the Zoo
Banquet Guest (uncredited)
 1933 Child of Manhattan
Mrs. McGonagle
 1933 Air Hostess
Ma Kearny
 1932 Women Won't Tell
Mrs. Walter Robinson
 1932 Hot Saturday
Ida Brock
 1932 Washington Merry-Go-Round
Alice's Aunt (uncredited)
 1932 Back Street
Mrs. Adolph Schmidt
 1932 The Strange Case of Clara Deane
Mortimer's Wife (uncredited)
 1932 Young America
Schoolteacher (uncredited)
 1932 No One Man
Patient (uncredited)
 1931 Ladies of the Big House
Mrs. Turner
 1931 Huckleberry Finn
Widow Douglas
 1931 Fighting Caravans
Pioneer Woman (uncredited)
 1930 Tom Sawyer
Widow Douglas
 1923 Little Church Around the Corner
Anxious Woman at Mine Disaster (uncredited)
 1920 The Restless Sex
Housekeeper (uncredited)
 1915 The Reform Candidate
Mrs. Haggerty
 1915 The Rug Maker's Daughter
Mrs. Van Buren
 1915 After Five
Mrs. Russell - Aunt Diddy
 1915 The Goose Girl
Irma
 1915 Hypocrites
Madam (uncredited)
 1914 Rose of the Rancho
Senora Castro Kenton - Juanita's Mother
 1914 Ready Money
Mrs. Tyler
 1914 The Man on the Box
Mrs. Chadwick
 1914 The Only Son
Mrs. Brainerd
 1914 The Master Mind
Milwaukee Sadie
 1914 Brewster's Millions
Mrs. Dan De Mille
 1913 The White Squaw (Short)
Watahnah
 1913 War of the Cattle Range (Short)
 1913 The Cowboy Magnate (Short)
Mrs. Graham - Phyllis's Mother
 1913 The Head Hunters (Short)
Matesa
 1913 At Shiloh (Short)
Mrs. Carlton
 1913 The Capture of Aguinaldo (Short)
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Show Show Archive footage (13 credits)

Related Videos

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Personal Details

Other Works:

Stage: Appeared (Broadway debut) in "The Wedding Day" on Broadway. Written by Jessie Trimble. Hackett Theatre: 10 Dec 1909 (1 performance). Cast: Jessie Bonstelle, Walter D. Greene, Sheldon Lewis, Owen Meech, Forrest Winant. See more »

Publicity Listings:

4 Articles | See more »

Height:

5' 6" (1.68 m)

Spouse:

Harold Guy Cooley  (divorced)

Parents:

Robert Woodard | Ellen Booth Woodard
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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

I've played Henry Fonda's mother so often that, whenever we run into each other, I call him "Son" and he calls me "Ma", just to save time.

Trivia:

Had appeared in six films directed by John Ford: The Grapes of Wrath (1940), My Darling Clementine (1946), 3 Godfathers (1948), Wagon Master (1950), The Sun Shines Bright (1953) and The Last Hurrah (1958). See more »

Trademark:

Often played brassy "old dames" See more »
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