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{{short description|American actress (born 1927)}}
[[Image:EstelleParsons.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Estelle Parsons]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Estelle Parsons
| image = Estelle Parsons Love American Style 1973.JPG
| caption = Parsons in a ''[[Love, American Style]]'' episode in 1973
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1927|11|20|mf=yes }}
| birth_place = [[Lynn, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| occupation = Actress
| known_for = ''[[Roseanne]]''<br>''[[The Conners]]''
| years_active = 1956–present
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{married|[[Richard Gehman]]<br>|1953|1958|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Peter Zimroth]]|1983|2021|end=died}}
}}
| children = 3
| education = [[Connecticut College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Boston University]]
}}


'''Estelle Parsons''' (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress.<ref name=pbv>{{cite web |title=Estelle Parsons |url=http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/18659/Estelle-Parsons |website=Playbill Vault |access-date=February 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308160259/http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/18659/Estelle-Parsons |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
'''Estelle Margaret Parsons''' (born [[November 20]], [[1927]] in [[Marblehead, Massachusetts]]) is an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning [[United States|American]] [[theater]], [[film]] and [[television]] actress of [[Swedish people|Swedish]] descent.


After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today]]'' and made her stage debut in 1961. During the 1960s, Parsons established her career on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] before progressing to film. She won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for her role as [[Blanche Barrow]] in ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' (1967), and was also nominated for her work in ''[[Rachel, Rachel]]'' (1968).
After graduating from [[Connecticut College]] in 1949, Parsons initially studied [[law]] and then worked as a singer with a band before settling on an acting career in the early [[1950s]]. Moving to [[New York, New York|New York]], she worked as a writer, producer and commentator for ''[[The Today Show]]''.


Parsons worked extensively in film and theatre during the 1970s and later directed several Broadway productions. Later work included perhaps her best known role, as [[List of Roseanne characters#Bev Harris|Beverly Harris]], mother of the title character, on the [[sitcom]] ''[[Roseanne]]'', and, later, on its spinoff ''[[The Conners]]''. She has been nominated five times for the [[Tony Award]] (four times for [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play|Lead Actress of a Play]] and once for [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play|Featured Actress]]). In 2004, Parsons was inducted into the [[American Theatre Hall of Fame]].
She has received [[Tony Award]] nominations for her work in ''The Seven Descents of Myrtle'' ([[1968]]), ''And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little'' ([[1971]]), ''Miss Margarida's Way'' ([[1978]]) and ''Mornings at Seven'' ([[2002]]).


==Early life==
Her film career includes an [[Academy Award|Oscar]] for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for her portrail of [[Blanche Barrow]] in ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' ([[1967]]), and a nomination for ''[[Rachel, Rachel]]'' ([[1968]]). She also received a [[BAFTA|BAFTA Award]] nomination for her role in [[Watermelon Man (film)|''Watermelon Man'']] ([[1970]]), and appeared in ''[[I Never Sang for My Father]]'' ([[1971]]), ''[[For Pete's Sake]]'' ([[1975]]), ''[[Dick Tracy (movie)|Dick Tracy]]'' ([[1992]]) and ''[[Boys on the Side]]'' ([[1995]]).
Parsons was born in Lynn Hospital, [[Lynn, Massachusetts]], the younger of two children born to Elinor Ingeborg ([[married and maiden names|née]] Mattsson), a native of Sweden, and Eben Parsons, who was of English descent. Estelle's older sister, Elaine Parsons Ruggles, was born in 1923 and died in 1996.<ref>[http://www.nyc-plus.com/nyc22/thepasionofestelle.html "The Passion of Estelle Parsons"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929060435/http://www.nyc-plus.com/nyc22/thepasionofestelle.html |date=September 29, 2007 }}, nyc-plus.com; accessed 3 May 2014.</ref><ref>[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800039903/bio Estelle Parsons profile], Yahoo! Movies; accessed May 3, 2014.</ref>


She attended Oak Grove School for Girls in [[Maine]]. After graduating from [[Connecticut College]] in 1949, Parsons initially studied law at [[Boston University School of Law]], and then worked as a singer with a band before settling on an acting career in the early 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Buckley|first=Michael|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/stage-to-screens-chats-with-estelle-parsons-mary-mccormack-and-bryan-batt-151939|title=STAGE TO SCREENS: Chats with Estelle Parsons, Mary McCormack and Bryan Batt|publisher=Playbill|date=2008-07-27|access-date=2016-11-18}}</ref> In 1983, when co-starring with fellow Academy Award-winning actor [[Jack Lemmon]] in a new [[Ernest Thompson]] stage play in Los Angeles, Parsons appeared on the November 1 episode of ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', telling [[Johnny Carson]] that Lemmon had been her first boyfriend, when they were both teenagers in the 1940s.<ref name=Mom55/>
She also played the part of [[Roseanne Barr]] and [[Laurie Metcalf]]'s pretentious mother, Beverly, on the long-running [[sitcom]], ''[[Roseanne]]''. Her other television credits include appearances on ''[[The Patty Duke Show]]'', ''[[Frasier]]'', and ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]''.


==Career==
{{start box}}
Parsons moved to New York City, and worked as a writer, producer and commentator for ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]''. She made her Broadway debut in 1956 in the ensemble of the [[Ethel Merman]] musical ''[[Happy Hunting (musical)|Happy Hunting]]''. Her [[Off-Broadway]] debut was in 1961, and she received a [[Theatre World Award]] in 1963 for her performance in ''Whisper into My Good Ear/Mrs. Dally Has a Lover'' (1962).
{{succession box

| title=[[Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]
In 1964, Parsons won an [[Obie Award]] for [[Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress|Best Actress]] for her performance in two [[Off-Broadway]] plays, ''Next Time I'll Sing to You'' and ''In the Summer House''. In 1967, she starred with [[Stacy Keach]] in the premiere of [[Joseph Heller]]'s play ''[[We Bombed in New Haven]]'' at the [[Yale Repertory Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/yalerep/docs/yrtbombedinnewhaven1967|title=We Bombed in New Haven|date=December 4–23, 1967|work=Original Yale Repertory Program|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226214142/https://issuu.com/yalerep/docs/yrtbombedinnewhaven1967|archive-date=February 26, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| years=1967<br>'''for ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (movie)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' '''

| before=[[Sandy Dennis]]<br>for ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]''
Parsons has received [[Tony Award]] nominations for her work in ''[[The Seven Descents of Myrtle]]'' (1968), ''[[And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little]]'' (1971), ''[[Miss Margarida's Way]]'' (1978), ''[[Morning's at Seven]]'' (2002), and ''The Velocity of Autumn'' (2014). She played Leokadia Begbick in the American premiere of the [[Kurt Weill|Weill]]–[[Bertolt Brecht|Brecht]] opera, ''[[Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny]]'' (1970), and performed as Mrs. Peachum to [[Lotte Lenya]]'s Jenny in ''[[The Threepenny Opera|Threepenny Opera]]'' on tour and in New York City. In 1978 she played Lady [[Macbeth]] in the Kauai Community Players production. She also played Ruth in [[Gilbert & Sullivan]]'s ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' on Broadway in 1981. From June 17, 2008, through May 17, 2009, she played the role of Violet Weston in ''[[August: Osage County]]''. She continued playing the role during the show's national tour beginning July 24, 2009, in [[Denver]]. {{citation needed|date=May 2014}}
| after=[[Ruth Gordon]]<br>for ''[[Rosemary's Baby]]''

In 1979, Parsons directed a production of ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' at Interart Theatre in New York in which she incorporated some Spanish into the show, prompting [[Joseph Papp]] to invite her to direct at the New York Shakespeare Festival (now [[The Public Theatre]]), and becoming the first woman to do so.<ref>{{cite web |title=Antony and Cleopatra (1979) |url=https://www.latinxshakespeares.org/1979-inerart-ac |website=Latinx Shakespeares |access-date=13 August 2023}}</ref> As a director, Parsons has a number of Broadway credits, including a production of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', ''[[Macbeth]]'' and ''[[As You Like It]]'' in 1986. Off-Broadway, she directed [[Dario Fo]]'s ''Orgasmo Adulto Escapes from the Zoo'' (1983). She served as the Artistic Director of the [[Actors Studio]] for five years, from 1998 to 2003.<ref>{{cite web |title=Leadership |url=https://theactorsstudio.org/who-we-are/leadership/ |website=The Actors Studio |access-date=23 February 2024}}</ref>

In 2016, she starred in [[Israel Horovitz]]'s new play ''Out Of The Mouths Of Babes'' along with [[Judith Ivey]] directed by [[Barnet Kellman]] at The [[Cherry Lane Theater]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cherrylanetheatre.org/onstage/out-of-the-mouths-of-babes|title=Cherry Lane Theatre|website=Cherrylanetheatre.org|access-date=2016-11-18}}</ref>

In 2004, Parsons was inducted into the [[American Theatre Hall of Fame]].<ref>[https://variety.com/2004/legit/news/hall-of-fame-honors-hoofer-1117912415/ "Hall of Fame honors hoofer"] ''Variety'', October 24, 2004.</ref>

Her film career includes an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for her portrayal of [[Blanche Barrow]] in ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' (1967), and a nomination for ''[[Rachel, Rachel]]'' (1968). She received a [[BAFTA|BAFTA Award]] nomination for her role in ''[[Watermelon Man (film)|Watermelon Man]]'' (1970), and appeared in ''[[I Never Sang for My Father]]'' (1970), ''[[Two People (1973 film)|Two People]]'' (1973), ''[[A Memory of Two Mondays (film)|A Memory of Two Mondays]]'' (1974), ''[[For Pete's Sake (film)|For Pete's Sake]]'' (1974), ''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' (1990) and ''[[Boys on the Side]]'' (1995).

On television, Parsons played the recurring role of [[List of Roseanne characters#Bev Harris|Beverly Harris]], the mother of the [[Roseanne Conner|title character]] on ''[[Roseanne]]''; her Beverly character is the daughter of character [[List of Roseanne characters#Nana Mary|Nana Mary]], played by fellow Academy Award winner [[Shelley Winters]]. Other television credits include appearances in ''[[The Patty Duke Show]]'', ''[[Love, American Style]]'', ''[[All In The Family]]'', ''[[Archie Bunker's Place]]'', ''[[Open Admissions]]'', ''[[Frasier]]'', ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'', and ''[[The Good Wife]]'', as well as ''[[The UFO Incident|The UFO Incident: The Story of Betty and Barney Hill]]'' and the [[PBS]] production of ''[[June Moon]]''. She played the part of Babe in three episodes of the second and fifth seasons of ''[[Grace and Frankie]]''.

She was honored with a Woman of Achievement Award from the [[Women's Project Theater]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wptheater.org/special-events/award-recipients|title=Women of Achievement Honorees &#124; Women's Project Theater|website=Wptheater.org|access-date=2016-11-18}}</ref> In 2010, she appeared in [[London]], playing psychic Helga ten Dorp in ''[[Deathtrap (play)|Deathtrap]]'' at the [[Noël Coward Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/deathtrap-with-jonathan-groff-simon-russell-beale-estelle-parsons-opens-in-london-com-171458|title=Deathtrap, With Jonathan Groff, Simon Russell Beale, Estelle Parsons, Opens in London|website=Playbill|access-date=2016-10-08}}</ref>

Parsons' most recent Broadway appearances include ''[[Good People (play)|Good People]]'' (2011) and ''[[Nice Work If You Can Get It (musical)|Nice Work If You Can Get It]]'' (2012).<ref>[http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Interviews-GOOD-PEOPLEs-Estelle-Parsons-20110404 Profile], broadwayworld.com; accessed October 16, 2014.</ref>

In April 2018, Parsons returned to television reprising her role as [[List of Roseanne characters|Beverly Harris]], mother of [[Roseanne Barr]]'s title character, in season 10, episode 5 of ''[[Roseanne (season 10)|Roseanne]]''.<ref name="tvguide parsons">{{Cite web |url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/roseanne-season-10-episode-5-exclusive-bev-returns/ |title=Roseanne Exclusive: Bev Is Back! |last=Vick |first=Megan |date=2018-04-13 |website=tvguide.com |access-date=2018-04-17}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Parsons married author [[Richard Gehman]] in 1953. They had twin daughters, reporter Abbie and actress [[Martha Gehman]], before divorcing in 1958.<ref name=Mom55>{{cite news |url=http://people.com/archive/actress-estelle-parsons-tackles-her-toughest-role-at-55-shes-a-mom-again-vol-20-no-13/ |title=Actress Estelle Parsons Tackles Her Toughest Role: At 55, She's a Mom Again |first=Toby |last=Kahn |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=1983-09-26 |access-date=2018-04-17}}</ref> Her grandson [[Eben Britton]], Abbie's son, is a former player for the [[Chicago Bears]] and [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] as a [[offensive guard|guard]]/[[offensive tackle|tackle]], and who was named for his great-grandfather, Estelle's father.<ref>{{cite web |title=Player Bio - Eben Britton |url=http://www.chicagobears.com/team/roster/Eben-Britton/8f6f87d0-f26b-46c1-b26c-d4cf767bd7a5 |website=chicagobears.com |access-date=2018-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331063350/http://www.chicagobears.com/team/roster/eben-britton/8f6f87d0-f26b-46c1-b26c-d4cf767bd7a5 |archive-date=March 31, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In January 1983, she married her partner of 10 years, [[Peter Zimroth]], who has served as [[United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York|Assistant U.S. Attorney]], [[New York County District Attorney|Assistant District Attorney]] and court-appointed monitor of the [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]]'s policies and practices regarding [[Stop-and-frisk in New York City|stop-and-frisk]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nypdmonitor.org/about-us |title=About Us |publisher=NYPD Monitor |access-date=2017-07-08 |archive-date=January 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126173956/http://nypdmonitor.org/about-us/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> They adopted a son, Abraham, born in February 1983.<ref name="Mom55" /> Peter Zimroth died on November 8, 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sisak |first1=Michael R. |title=Peter Zimroth, Lawyer Who Oversaw NYPD Reforms, Dies at 78 |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/peter-zimroth-lawyer-who-oversaw-nypd-reforms-dies-at-78/3387714/ |access-date=12 March 2023 |work=NBC New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130111653/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/peter-zimroth-lawyer-who-oversaw-nypd-reforms-dies-at-78/3387714/ |archive-date=30 November 2021}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! class="unsortable" | Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1963 || ''[[Ladybug Ladybug (film)|Ladybug Ladybug]]'' || JoAnn's Mother ||
|-
| 1967 || ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' || [[Blanche Barrow|Blanche]] ||[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]<ref name="Academy">{{cite web|title=Oscar-Estelle Parsons|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1359173289067|publisher=Academy Awards|access-date=January 26, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415185612/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1359173289067|archive-date=April 15, 2013}}</ref><br>[[Laurel Award|Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance]] (2nd place)
|-
| 1968 || ''[[Rachel, Rachel]]'' || Calla Mackie || [[Laurel Award|Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance]]<br>Nominated&nbsp;– [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]<ref name="Academy"/>
|-
| 1969 || ''[[Don't Drink the Water (1969 film)|Don't Drink the Water]]'' || Marion Hollander ||
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1970 || ''[[Watermelon Man (film)|Watermelon Man]]'' || Althea Gerber || Nominated&nbsp;– [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role]]
|-
| ''[[I Walk the Line (film)|I Walk the Line]]'' || Ellen Haney ||
|-
| ''[[I Never Sang for My Father]]'' || Alice ||
|-
| 1973 || ''[[Two People (1973 film)|Two People]]'' || Barbara Newman ||
|-
| 1974 || ''[[For Pete's Sake (film)|For Pete's Sake]]'' || Helen Robbins ||
|-
| 1975 || ''[[Fore Play]]'' || 1st Lady / Barmaid ||
|-
| 1989 || ''[[The Lemon Sisters]]'' || Mrs. Kupchak ||
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1990 || ''The Blue Men'' || May ||
|-
| ''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' || Mrs. Trueheart ||
|-
| 1995 || ''[[Boys on the Side]]'' || Louise ||
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Looking for Richard]]'' || Margaret ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[That Darn Cat (1997 film)|That Darn Cat]]'' || Old Lady McCracken ||
|-1998. The Love Letter
| 2018 || ''[[Diane (2018 film)|Diane]]'' || Mary ||
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! class="unsortable" | Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1954 || ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' || Self || Episode dated 6 September 1954
|-
| 1963 ||{{sort|Defenders|''[[The Defenders (1961 TV series)|The Defenders]]''}} || Mrs. Martin || "Metamorphosis"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1964 || {{sort|DuPont|''[[The DuPont Show of the Week]]''}} || Carrie Bernice || "The Gambling Heart"
|-
| {{sort|Duke|''[[The Patty Duke Show]]''}} || Mrs. Appleton || "The Con Artist"
|-
| 1965 || {{sort|Doctors|''[[The Doctors and the Nurses]]''}} || Mrs. Meyers|| "Where There's Smoke"
|-
| 1966 || {{sort|Trials|''[[The Trials of O'Brien]]''}} || Miss Baines|| "Alarums and Excursions"
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1968 || ''[[Snap Judgment (game show)|Snap Judgment]]'' || Self || Episode dated 18 November 1968
|-
| ''Hemingway's Spain: A Love Affair'' || Self (voice only) ||
|-
| ''[[Kraft Music Hall (TV series)|Kraft Music Hall]]'' || Self || Episode #11.30
|-
| {{sort|Academy|''The 40th Annual Academy Awards''}} ||Self || Oscar winner
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1970 || {{sort|Front|''The Front Page''}} || Mollie Malloy ||
|-
| {{sort|Frost|''The David Frost Show''}} || Self || Episode #2.240
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971 || ''[[25th Tony Awards]]'' || Self || Nominee
|-
| ''[[Great Performances]]'' || Agnes || [[A Memory of Two Mondays (film)|''A Memory of Two Mondays'']]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1972 || ''[[Love, American Style]]'' || Bernice || "Love and the Clinic/Love and the Perfect Wedding/Love and the President/Love and the Return of Raymond"
|-
| ''[[Medical Center (TV series)|Medical Center]]'' || Bev || "Wall of Silence"
|-
| 1973 || ''Terror on the Beach'' || Arlene Glynn ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1974 || {{sort|Gun|''[[The Gun and the Pulpit]]''}} || Sadie Underwood ||
|-
| ''Great Performances'' || Lucille || "June Moon"
|-
| 1975 || ''[[The UFO Incident]]'' || [[Betty and Barney Hill abduction|Betty Hill]] ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1976 || {{sort|Tenth|''[[The Tenth Level]]''}} || Crossland ||
|-
| ''[[Special Treat|NBC Special Treat]]'' || Edwina Kemp || "Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid"
|-
| ''[[All in the Family]]'' || Dolores Mancheney Fencel || "Archie's Secret Passion"
|-
| 1978 || ''All in the Family'' || Blanche Hefner || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1979 || ''[[Archie Bunker's Place]]'' || Blanche Hefner || "Blanche and Murray"
|-
| ''[[Backstairs at the White House]]'' || [[Bess Truman]] || Four episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1981 || {{sort|Gentleman|''[[The Gentleman Bandit (TV movie)|The Gentleman Bandit]]''}} || Marjorie Seebode ||
|-
| ''Guests of the Nation'' || Kate O'Connell ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1982 || ''Today'' || Self || Episode dated 14 January 1982
|-
| ''[[American Playhouse]]'' || Mabel Lederer/Angela Motorman || "Come Along with Me"
|-
| 1987 || ''American Playhouse'' || || "Waiting for the Moon" (the producers wish to thank)
|-
| 1988 || ''Open Admissions'' || Clare Block ||
|-
| 1989–1997, 2018 || ''[[Roseanne]]'' || Beverly Harris || 61 episodes<br>Nominated for [[TV Land Award]]
|-
| 1990 || ''Everyday Heroes'' || Matty Jennings ||
|-
| 1992 || {{sort|Private|''[[A Private Matter]]''}} || Mary Chessen || Nominated—CableACE Award Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1993 || {{sort|American|''The American Clock''}} || Older Doris ||
|-
| ''[[Family Feud]]'' || Self || "Roseanne vs. Jackie Thomas Sitcoms"
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'' || Self ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[Touched by an Angel]]'' || Jeannette Fisher || "Sandcastles"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998 || {{sort|Love|''[[The Love Letter (1998 film)|The Love Letter]]''}} || Beatrice Corrigan ||
|-
| {{sort|Academy|''The 70th Annual Academy Awards''}} || Self ||
|-
| 1999 || ''Freak City'' || Mrs. Stanapolous ||
|-
| 2000 || ''Backstory'' || Self || "Bonnie and Clyde"
|-
| 2001 || ''[[100 Centre Street]]'' || Esther O'Neill || "The Fix"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002 || ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' || Rose Rinato || "Denial"
|-
| {{sort|Tony|''The 56th Annual Tony Awards''}} || Self ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2004 || ''[[Frasier]]'' || Celeste's Mother <small>(voice)</small><br>Opal <br>Herself <small>(photograph)</small>|| "Frasier-Lite"<br>"Coots and Ladders"<br>"Goodnight, Seattle"
|-
| ''[[Strip Search (TV series)|Strip Search]]'' || Roberta Gray ||
|-
| ''[[Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde]]'' || Self ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Empire Falls (miniseries)|Empire Falls]]'' || Bea || 2 episodes
|-
| 2013 || ''[[The Good Wife]]'' || Nana Joe || Episode: "What's in the Box?"
|-
| 2016–2019 || ''[[Grace and Frankie]]'' || Babe || 3 episodes
|-
| 2018–present || ''[[The Conners]]'' || Beverly Harris || 9 episodes
|-
|2023–2024
|''[[Around the Sun (audio drama)]]''
|Bibi
|2 episodes
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{AFI person | 49145-Estelle-Parsons }}
* {{IMDb name|663820}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{iobdb name|4992}}
* [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;cc=wiarchives;type=simple;rgn=Entire%20Finding%20Aid;q1=Estelle%20Parsons;view=reslist;subview=detail;sort=freq;didno=uw-whs-tape00339a Estelle Parsons] at the [[University of Wisconsin]]'s [https://web.archive.org/web/20131004223020/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;view=reslist;subview=standard;didno=uw-whs-tape00339a;focusrgn=summaryinfo;cc=wiarchives;byte=50771135 Actors Studio audio collection]
* {{emmytvlegends name|estelle-parsons}}
* {{YouTube|83HEGMU_N68|Estelle Parsons reading Flannery O'Connor's story "Everything That Rises Must Converge"}}

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
| title = Artistic Director of the [[Actors Studio]]
| years = 1998–2003
| with =
| before = [[Arthur Penn]]
| after = Vacant (2003–2004)<br>[[Stephen Lang (actor)|Stephen Lang]]<br>[[Carlin Glynn]]<br>[[Lee Grant]]
}}
}}
{{end}}
{{S-end}}


{{Navboxes
==External link==
*{{imdb name|id=0663820|name=Estelle Parsons}}
|title = Awards for Estelle Parsons
|list =
* [http://www.thegoldenyears.org/parsons.html Classic Movies (1939 - 1969): Estelle Parsons]
{{AcademyAwardBestSupportingActress 1961-1980}}
{{DramaDesk UniqueTheatricalExperience 1976–2000}}
}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1927 births|Parsons, Estelle]]
[[Category:American film actors|Parsons, Estelle]]
[[Category:American stage actors|Parson, Estelle]]
[[Category:American Theatre Hall of Fame inductees|Parson, Estelle]]
[[Category:American television actors|Parsons, Estelle]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominee|Parsons, Estelle]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actress Oscar|Parsons, Estelle]]
[[Category:Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actors|Parsons, Estelle]]
[[Category:Living people|Parsons, Estelle]]
[[Category:People from Massachusetts|Parsons, Estelle]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Estelle}}
[[de:Estelle Parsons]]
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Boston]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American Shakespearean actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Swedish descent]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Connecticut College alumni]]
[[Category:Drama Desk Award winners]]
[[Category:Obie Award recipients]]
[[Category:Singers from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]

Latest revision as of 22:35, 30 November 2024

Estelle Parsons
Parsons in a Love, American Style episode in 1973
Born (1927-11-20) November 20, 1927 (age 97)
Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationConnecticut College (BA)
Boston University
OccupationActress
Years active1956–present
Known forRoseanne
The Conners
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1953; div. 1958)​
​
​
(m. 1983; died 2021)​
Children3

Estelle Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress.[1]

After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program Today and made her stage debut in 1961. During the 1960s, Parsons established her career on Broadway before progressing to film. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), and was also nominated for her work in Rachel, Rachel (1968).

Parsons worked extensively in film and theatre during the 1970s and later directed several Broadway productions. Later work included perhaps her best known role, as Beverly Harris, mother of the title character, on the sitcom Roseanne, and, later, on its spinoff The Conners. She has been nominated five times for the Tony Award (four times for Lead Actress of a Play and once for Featured Actress). In 2004, Parsons was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Early life

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Parsons was born in Lynn Hospital, Lynn, Massachusetts, the younger of two children born to Elinor Ingeborg (née Mattsson), a native of Sweden, and Eben Parsons, who was of English descent. Estelle's older sister, Elaine Parsons Ruggles, was born in 1923 and died in 1996.[2][3]

She attended Oak Grove School for Girls in Maine. After graduating from Connecticut College in 1949, Parsons initially studied law at Boston University School of Law, and then worked as a singer with a band before settling on an acting career in the early 1950s.[4] In 1983, when co-starring with fellow Academy Award-winning actor Jack Lemmon in a new Ernest Thompson stage play in Los Angeles, Parsons appeared on the November 1 episode of The Tonight Show, telling Johnny Carson that Lemmon had been her first boyfriend, when they were both teenagers in the 1940s.[5]

Career

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Parsons moved to New York City, and worked as a writer, producer and commentator for The Today Show. She made her Broadway debut in 1956 in the ensemble of the Ethel Merman musical Happy Hunting. Her Off-Broadway debut was in 1961, and she received a Theatre World Award in 1963 for her performance in Whisper into My Good Ear/Mrs. Dally Has a Lover (1962).

In 1964, Parsons won an Obie Award for Best Actress for her performance in two Off-Broadway plays, Next Time I'll Sing to You and In the Summer House. In 1967, she starred with Stacy Keach in the premiere of Joseph Heller's play We Bombed in New Haven at the Yale Repertory Theatre.[6]

Parsons has received Tony Award nominations for her work in The Seven Descents of Myrtle (1968), And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little (1971), Miss Margarida's Way (1978), Morning's at Seven (2002), and The Velocity of Autumn (2014). She played Leokadia Begbick in the American premiere of the Weill–Brecht opera, Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny (1970), and performed as Mrs. Peachum to Lotte Lenya's Jenny in Threepenny Opera on tour and in New York City. In 1978 she played Lady Macbeth in the Kauai Community Players production. She also played Ruth in Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway in 1981. From June 17, 2008, through May 17, 2009, she played the role of Violet Weston in August: Osage County. She continued playing the role during the show's national tour beginning July 24, 2009, in Denver. [citation needed]

In 1979, Parsons directed a production of Antony and Cleopatra at Interart Theatre in New York in which she incorporated some Spanish into the show, prompting Joseph Papp to invite her to direct at the New York Shakespeare Festival (now The Public Theatre), and becoming the first woman to do so.[7] As a director, Parsons has a number of Broadway credits, including a production of Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and As You Like It in 1986. Off-Broadway, she directed Dario Fo's Orgasmo Adulto Escapes from the Zoo (1983). She served as the Artistic Director of the Actors Studio for five years, from 1998 to 2003.[8]

In 2016, she starred in Israel Horovitz's new play Out Of The Mouths Of Babes along with Judith Ivey directed by Barnet Kellman at The Cherry Lane Theater in New York City.[9]

In 2004, Parsons was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.[10]

Her film career includes an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), and a nomination for Rachel, Rachel (1968). She received a BAFTA Award nomination for her role in Watermelon Man (1970), and appeared in I Never Sang for My Father (1970), Two People (1973), A Memory of Two Mondays (1974), For Pete's Sake (1974), Dick Tracy (1990) and Boys on the Side (1995).

On television, Parsons played the recurring role of Beverly Harris, the mother of the title character on Roseanne; her Beverly character is the daughter of character Nana Mary, played by fellow Academy Award winner Shelley Winters. Other television credits include appearances in The Patty Duke Show, Love, American Style, All In The Family, Archie Bunker's Place, Open Admissions, Frasier, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Good Wife, as well as The UFO Incident: The Story of Betty and Barney Hill and the PBS production of June Moon. She played the part of Babe in three episodes of the second and fifth seasons of Grace and Frankie.

She was honored with a Woman of Achievement Award from the Women's Project Theater in 2009.[11] In 2010, she appeared in London, playing psychic Helga ten Dorp in Deathtrap at the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End.[12]

Parsons' most recent Broadway appearances include Good People (2011) and Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012).[13]

In April 2018, Parsons returned to television reprising her role as Beverly Harris, mother of Roseanne Barr's title character, in season 10, episode 5 of Roseanne.[14]

Personal life

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Parsons married author Richard Gehman in 1953. They had twin daughters, reporter Abbie and actress Martha Gehman, before divorcing in 1958.[5] Her grandson Eben Britton, Abbie's son, is a former player for the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars as a guard/tackle, and who was named for his great-grandfather, Estelle's father.[15]

In January 1983, she married her partner of 10 years, Peter Zimroth, who has served as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Assistant District Attorney and court-appointed monitor of the NYPD's policies and practices regarding stop-and-frisk.[16] They adopted a son, Abraham, born in February 1983.[5] Peter Zimroth died on November 8, 2021.[17]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1963 Ladybug Ladybug JoAnn's Mother
1967 Bonnie and Clyde Blanche Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress[18]
Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance (2nd place)
1968 Rachel, Rachel Calla Mackie Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress[18]
1969 Don't Drink the Water Marion Hollander
1970 Watermelon Man Althea Gerber Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
I Walk the Line Ellen Haney
I Never Sang for My Father Alice
1973 Two People Barbara Newman
1974 For Pete's Sake Helen Robbins
1975 Fore Play 1st Lady / Barmaid
1989 The Lemon Sisters Mrs. Kupchak
1990 The Blue Men May
Dick Tracy Mrs. Trueheart
1995 Boys on the Side Louise
1996 Looking for Richard Margaret
1997 That Darn Cat Old Lady McCracken
2018 Diane Mary

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1954 Today Self Episode dated 6 September 1954
1963 The Defenders Mrs. Martin "Metamorphosis"
1964 The DuPont Show of the Week Carrie Bernice "The Gambling Heart"
The Patty Duke Show Mrs. Appleton "The Con Artist"
1965 The Doctors and the Nurses Mrs. Meyers "Where There's Smoke"
1966 The Trials of O'Brien Miss Baines "Alarums and Excursions"
1968 Snap Judgment Self Episode dated 18 November 1968
Hemingway's Spain: A Love Affair Self (voice only)
Kraft Music Hall Self Episode #11.30
The 40th Annual Academy Awards Self Oscar winner
1970 The Front Page Mollie Malloy
The David Frost Show Self Episode #2.240
1971 25th Tony Awards Self Nominee
Great Performances Agnes A Memory of Two Mondays
1972 Love, American Style Bernice "Love and the Clinic/Love and the Perfect Wedding/Love and the President/Love and the Return of Raymond"
Medical Center Bev "Wall of Silence"
1973 Terror on the Beach Arlene Glynn
1974 The Gun and the Pulpit Sadie Underwood
Great Performances Lucille "June Moon"
1975 The UFO Incident Betty Hill
1976 The Tenth Level Crossland
NBC Special Treat Edwina Kemp "Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid"
All in the Family Dolores Mancheney Fencel "Archie's Secret Passion"
1978 All in the Family Blanche Hefner 2 episodes
1979 Archie Bunker's Place Blanche Hefner "Blanche and Murray"
Backstairs at the White House Bess Truman Four episodes
1981 The Gentleman Bandit Marjorie Seebode
Guests of the Nation Kate O'Connell
1982 Today Self Episode dated 14 January 1982
American Playhouse Mabel Lederer/Angela Motorman "Come Along with Me"
1987 American Playhouse "Waiting for the Moon" (the producers wish to thank)
1988 Open Admissions Clare Block
1989–1997, 2018 Roseanne Beverly Harris 61 episodes
Nominated for TV Land Award
1990 Everyday Heroes Matty Jennings
1992 A Private Matter Mary Chessen Nominated—CableACE Award Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries
1993 The American Clock Older Doris
Family Feud Self "Roseanne vs. Jackie Thomas Sitcoms"
1994 Inside the Actors Studio Self
1997 Touched by an Angel Jeannette Fisher "Sandcastles"
1998 The Love Letter Beatrice Corrigan
The 70th Annual Academy Awards Self
1999 Freak City Mrs. Stanapolous
2000 Backstory Self "Bonnie and Clyde"
2001 100 Centre Street Esther O'Neill "The Fix"
2002 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Rose Rinato "Denial"
The 56th Annual Tony Awards Self
2004 Frasier Celeste's Mother (voice)
Opal
Herself (photograph)		 "Frasier-Lite"
"Coots and Ladders"
"Goodnight, Seattle"
Strip Search Roberta Gray
Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde Self
2005 Empire Falls Bea 2 episodes
2013 The Good Wife Nana Joe Episode: "What's in the Box?"
2016–2019 Grace and Frankie Babe 3 episodes
2018–present The Conners Beverly Harris 9 episodes
2023–2024 Around the Sun (audio drama) Bibi 2 episodes

References

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  1. ^ "Estelle Parsons". Playbill Vault. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Passion of Estelle Parsons" Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, nyc-plus.com; accessed 3 May 2014.
  3. ^ Estelle Parsons profile, Yahoo! Movies; accessed May 3, 2014.
  4. ^ Buckley, Michael (July 27, 2008). "STAGE TO SCREENS: Chats with Estelle Parsons, Mary McCormack and Bryan Batt". Playbill. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Kahn, Toby (September 26, 1983). "Actress Estelle Parsons Tackles Her Toughest Role: At 55, She's a Mom Again". People. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "We Bombed in New Haven". Original Yale Repertory Program. December 4–23, 1967. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  7. ^ "Antony and Cleopatra (1979)". Latinx Shakespeares. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Leadership". The Actors Studio. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Cherry Lane Theatre". Cherrylanetheatre.org. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  10. ^ "Hall of Fame honors hoofer" Variety, October 24, 2004.
  11. ^ "Women of Achievement Honorees | Women's Project Theater". Wptheater.org. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  12. ^ "Deathtrap, With Jonathan Groff, Simon Russell Beale, Estelle Parsons, Opens in London". Playbill. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  13. ^ Profile, broadwayworld.com; accessed October 16, 2014.
  14. ^ Vick, Megan (April 13, 2018). "Roseanne Exclusive: Bev Is Back!". tvguide.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  15. ^ "Player Bio - Eben Britton". chicagobears.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "About Us". NYPD Monitor. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  17. ^ Sisak, Michael R. "Peter Zimroth, Lawyer Who Oversaw NYPD Reforms, Dies at 78". NBC New York. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Oscar-Estelle Parsons". Academy Awards. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
[edit]
Preceded by Artistic Director of the Actors Studio
1998–2003 		Succeeded by
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