TRIBUTE TO

SHELLEY WINTERS

August 18, 1920 - January 14, 2006

A STAR!

INTERMISSION

Click on the savior of the nation. The Great Emancipator. The epic President!

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

In 1981 I read Shelley's amazing biography "Shelley: Also Known as Shirley"
It is one of the best books of the acting world. I highly recommend it.

Born Shirley Schrift on August 18, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri, Winters got
the acting bug when she appeared at a local amateur night. After her family moved to
Long Island to be closer to the garment district, Winters took acting lessons
at the New School for Social Research as well as the Actors Studio. After bit parts
as a chorus girl and model she got her big break in the S. J. Perelman comedy
"The Night Before Christmas" in 1940.

She caught the attention of Hollywood and a contract in 1943 with Columbia Pictures.
She did bit parts in movies until whe was loaned to United Artists for a prominent role in
Knickerbocker Holiday in 1944. To get noticed and improve her skills she took more acting
lessons and performed in nightclubs.

Winters' major breakthrough came with her role as a murder victim in A Double Life starring
Ronald Colmen. Colman won the best actor Oscar for 1947 and the publicity only added to the
question "Who is that Shelley Winters?" Fans came to know the answer quickly as she made
many films with Universal-International.

She received an Oscar nomination for her strong performance in "A Place in the Sun". She
worked opposite the handsome and popular Montgomery Clift. In that role her character is a shy
factory girl who gets pregnant by Clift. It is a clinging performance brought to the screen with
sheer talent by Winters. She lost the Oscar to Vivien Leigh that year but would go on to win two
Supporting Actress Oscars for "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "A Patch of Blue". She was also
nominated in the supporting category again for "The Poseidon Adventure".

Among her other memorable film roles are:
Winchester '73 with Jimmy Stewart
Saskatchewan with Joseph Cotton
The Night of the Hunter with Robert Mitchum and Lilian Gish
Executive Suit with William Holden
Lolita with James Mason
Alfie with Michael Caine
Harper with Paul Newman
and dozens of others including the recent movies Heavy and The Portrait of a Lady.

She also has many Broadway and other theater credits under her belt.

Her three husbands include actors Vittorio Gassman and Anthony Franciosa.
Shelley has also been seen in the hit TV show Roseanne. She
played the title character's grandmother. Her role in that show kept Shelley Winters
in the public spotlight. Shelley passed away January 14, 2006.

After winning her Oscar for the Diary of Anne Frank, she donated it
to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. She personally presented it to
Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank. It is on display to this day.

If you have any images of Shelley please sent them to the e-mail address at the bottom.
Shelley deserves no less than than the best tribute possible!