Colleen Dewhurst brought earthy authority and understanding to formidable women. We value the force of her supporting performances, while wishing films had given that throaty voice, and the actor behind it, more to do.
Fi1m perspective
Colleen Dewhurst’s voice is throaty and authoritative, well suited to women who do not expect to be ignored. In Annie Hall (1977), she plays Mrs Hall, Annie’s mother, and brings an earthy presence to a film busy examining its own feelings. We warmed to her because the force of that voice gives Annie’s mother a presence of her own amid the romantic self-examination. Diane Keaton remains the chief source of the film’s warmth. Dewhurst’s contribution is smaller, but she makes the maternal part worth noticing without our needing to mistake it for the main attraction.
Her substantial roles were on stage, particularly in Eugene O’Neill’s plays directed by José Quintero. Josie Hogan in A Moon for the Misbegotten (1973) was a signature part, drawing on the earthiness and passion for which she was known. Film work remained supporting, even as those stage performances established her reputation. That matters when judging the screen career: the recurring maternal parts made use of her authority, but gave her too few opportunities to show what else she could do.
In David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone (1983), she plays Henrietta Dodd. This is a psychic thriller whose dangers matter because Christopher Walken gives them such a sad human centre, and Dewhurst’s formidable presence has a different use here from the warmth of Annie Hall. She is an actor who can make authority feel less than reassuring. The storytelling is sometimes disjointed, but the performances and Cronenberg’s restrained handling of the supernatural make the film easy to recommend. It also discourages any account of Dewhurst that makes her merely comforting.
Television gave her greater prominence in the 1980s, including Marilla Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables (1985) and Avery Brown in Murphy Brown. Marilla offers a natural next stop for anyone interested in her capacity for understanding as well as forcefulness. The lighter work deserves attention without an apology for its distance from O’Neill; sympathy was one of her strengths throughout. For a longer acquaintance than the films allow, try Anne of Green Gables.
Biography
Colleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress. Born in Montréal, Québec, she trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and made her professional stage debut in the early 1950s.
She became known for her interpretations of Eugene O’Neill’s plays on Broadway and off-Broadway, winning two Tony Awards. Her film and television roles included Mrs Hall in Annie Hall (1977), Henrietta Dodd in The Dead Zone (1983), Marilla Cuthbert in the 1985 television adaptation of Anne of Green Gables and its sequels, and Estelle Whittier in Dying Young (1991). She also served as president of the Actors’ Equity Association from 1985 until her death in 1991.
Dewhurst received four Primetime Emmy Awards for her television work.
