This Icon Embraced Aging Naturally & Broke the Record as the Oldest Tony Winner at 90 – See Her Now

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While trying to break into Hollywood, this star took on everyday jobs, such as working in a deli. She had no idea that her perseverance and love for acting would eventually earn her a highly coveted accolade beating out other actresses.

This actress, recognized for her role in 1996’s “Twister,” has spent most of her life on stage. Now an icon in the industry, she made

The Celebrity’s Road to Stardom
This legendary star was born on November 3, 1930, in Topeka, Kansas. Her father worked for the telephone company during the day but directed biblical plays at a Protestant church in the evenings. For her, acting seemed like a true calling.

She clarified, “They weren’t for entertainment,” but explained that she found the plays entertaining. The star remembered enjoying rehearsals, and when her father needed someone to fill in, she already knew all the lines.

 

Eventually, her father gave his youngest daughter an Old Testament costume and her own starring roles. She fondly recalled the joy of performing, stating, “That was the beginning.” By the age of 18, she was married.

 

She tied the knot with Wesley Smith, a teacher, and not long after, they moved to New York. While auditioning, the actress worked at a deli slicing salami and also checked hats at the Russian Tea Room.

When she landed her first acting job, she briefly considered changing her name to something more glamorous than the one she uses now. However, she decided it wasn’t worth the trouble.

Ultimately, she kept her married name, which perfectly suited her—straightforward, simple, and honest. Her focus remained on acting rather than the fame that came with it.

In 1955, she reached a major milestone by appearing in LIFE Magazine alongside three young Broadway actresses like Jayne Mansfield. Reflecting on the opportunity, she shrugged and said, “Somebody must have gotten the idea to put us all on the cover.”

For the shoot, she wore her stage costume—an off-the-shoulder red dress—and looked straight into the camera. The magazine praised her “pale-faced intensity,” while Mansfield stood behind her in a strapless sequin dress.

At the time, the actress was 25 and the oldest among the photographed starlets, many of whom were still teenagers. By 2017, the star had acted so long that when she spoke of developing a new line-learning method in “recent years,” she meant “the last 25 or so.”

She is the only surviving star from that shoot by then. Her longevity in the industry seems less like a calculated career path and more like the instinct of an actor drawn to new roles. The celebrity admitted, “I don’t think I was ever particularly a planner.”

Around the time of the magazine cover, she told a journalist she hadn’t “realized all my stage ambitions.” She wasn’t referring to fame or awards—she simply wished to play Nina in “The Seagull.”

On Broadway, the star eventually performed in works by Harold Pinter, Bertolt Brecht, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, John Steinbeck, Sam Shepard, and Tony Kushner—not to mention three Chekhov plays. However, by the time she took on “The Seagull,” she had aged out of Nina and portrayed the fierce Madame Arkadina instead.

She’s also known for her performances in 2002’s “Minority Report” and 2017’s “Lady Bird.” Despite beginning her career when appearance standards for women were rigid and cosmetic procedures were rising, she chose to age naturally.

Sticking to Natural Beauty & Working with Other Greats
At one point, she worried about her age—but not out of vanity. As she aged and her dark hair turned white on top, she left it that way. She explained, “Nature just decided to gray me that way,” adding, “I really liked the way it happened.”

Until then, her challenge was appearing younger than her age, looking younger than her driver’s license. For instance, at 22, she played a 16-year-old drama queen in her Broadway debut in “Time Out for Ginger.”