Lynn Fontanne British actress Date of Birth: 06.12.1887 Country: Great Britain

1. Lynn Fontanne: A Legendary British Actress
2. Early Career and Rise to Fame
3. Collaboration with Alfred Lunt
4. On-screen Appearances
5. Personal Life and Legacy

Lynn Fontanne: A Legendary British Actress

Lynn Fontanne was a British actress and one of the leading stars of the theatrical stage in the United States for over 40 years. Alongside her husband, Alfred Lunt, she was part of one of the most celebrated acting teams in the history of American theater. Lilly Louise Fontanne was born on December 6, 1887, in Woodford, Essex, England, and passed away on July 30, 1983. Despite living in the United States for over 60 years, she never renounced her British citizenship. Together with her husband, they received the prestigious Tony Award in 1970. Fontanne also won an Emmy in 1965 and the Kennedy Center Honors at the end of her life.

Early Career and Rise to Fame

Fontanne initially gained popularity by playing the lead role in the theatrical farce "Dulcy" by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly in 1920. She soon became famous for her talent in high-level comedy roles, standing out among her peers with her witty performances written for her by Noel Coward, S.N. Behrman, and Robert Sherwood. In contrast, Fontanne portrayed Nina Leeds, a desperate heroine in Eugene O'Neill's nine-act drama "Strange Interlude," which became one of her greatest achievements throughout her career.

Collaboration with Alfred Lunt

From the late 1920s, Fontanne only participated in the most successful projects alongside her husband. Among her most triumphant theatrical achievements were roles in productions such as "The Guardsman" (1933), "The Taming of the Shrew" (1935-1936), "Idiot's Delight" (1936), and "There Shall Be No Night" (1940). For her last stage role in the play "The Visit" (1959), Fontanne was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress.

On-screen Appearances

Fontanne appeared in only a few films but was nominated for Best Actress by the Academy Awards in 1931 for her role in the romantic comedy "The Guardsman," losing to a young Helen Hayes. She also appeared in the silent films "Second Youth" (1924) and Alfred E. Green's drama "The Man Who Found Himself" (1925).

Personal Life and Legacy

Her husband, Alfred Lunt, starred in four television films in the 1950s and 1960s and together with Fontanne won an Emmy in 1965 for "The Magnificent Yankee," becoming the first married couple to win the award for portraying a married couple on screen. Fontanne also served as the narrator in the fantasy musical "Peter Pan" (1960), starring Mary Martin and Cyril Richard, and received a second Emmy nomination for her portrayal of the grand duchess Mary in the Hallmark Hall of Fame series "Anastasia" in 1967. This was one of her rare roles when her husband was not by her side.

Fontanne and Lunt also performed in several radio dramas in the 1940s, particularly in programs by the Theatre Guild.

The romance between Fontanne and Alfred Lunt began in 1920 when he played one of the leading roles in the play "Clarence" with Helen Hayes, who was in love with him. In 1922, Lunt married... Fontanne. Hayes managed to remain friends with the couple for the rest of their lives, although many believe that she never truly forgave Lynn for "stealing" him.

Alfred and Lynn lived for many years in Ten Chimneys, in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, but they never had children. Lynn Fontanne was regarded by many as one of those actresses who concealed their true age by any means necessary. Her husband passed away believing that Fontanne was five years younger than him (as she had told him), refusing to believe other sources, even though several magazines had published her real birth year. In fact, she was five years older than her husband, but the actress continued to deny it even after his death. Well, she was not born in 1887, and that's it! Moreover, it seemed so important to her that she even lied about her birthdate to the Social Security Administration. When asked how to pronounce her name correctly, she told "The Literary Digest" magazine that she preferred the French interpretation, but "French is too difficult for Americans to pronounce. Both syllables must be accented and should be more or less sharp": fon-tane.

According to the Social Security Death Index, Lynn Fontanne was laid to rest at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next to her husband.