Background
Colleen Dewhurst was born on June 3, 1926 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was the daughter of Frances Marie (Woods) Dewhurst, a homemaker, and Ferdinand Augustus Dewhurst.
Colleen Dewhurst was born on June 3, 1926 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was the daughter of Frances Marie (Woods) Dewhurst, a homemaker, and Ferdinand Augustus Dewhurst.
For the first two years of high school Colleen attended Whitefish Bay High School. Later, she went on to study at Shorewood High School. In 1942 Dewhurst finally finished Riverside High School in Milwaukee.
She also attended Downer College for Young Ladies. Moreover, in 1947 Colleen studied at American Academy of Dramatic Art. She attended American Theatre Wing, as well, and was a pupil of Harold Clurman and Joseph Anthony.
Colleen made her Broadway debut in 1952 in "Desire Under the Elms" and went on to perform in 20 other theater productions. She appeared in over 50 television and silver screen films. Her most significant role was the 1974 Broadway revival of O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten as the farm girl Josie Hogan.
Dewhurst also played Shakespeare's Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth for Papp and, years later, Gertrude in a production of Hamlet at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.
During a short period from 1989 to 1990 Colleen played a supporting role on the television series Murphy Brown.
Colleen's most important stage appearances include: The Crucible, The Price, Great Day In the Morning, A Moon for the Misbegotten and others.
Quotations: "We should try to bring to any power what we have as women. We will destroy it all if we try to imitate that absolutely unfeeling, driving ambition that we have seen coming at us across the desk."
Colleen Dewhurst was a member of the following organizations: American Council for the Arts, Actors Fund of America, Theatre Development Fund, Westchester Arts Council, United Jewish Appeal, Actors Work Program, Theatre Communications Group, Colleen Dewhurst AIDS Memorial Trust Fund, Lighthouse for the Blind and others.
Colleen married James Vickery, an actor, in 1947 and thirteen years later, in 1960, the couple divorced. The same year Colleen married George C. Scott, again an actor. But their marriage didn’t exist too long - five years later they separated. In 1967 she remarried George C. Scott and in 1972 the couple divorced again. Dewhurst had two children from the second marriage: Campbell and Alexander.