Marian Seldes

Marian Seldes (born August 23, 1928 in New York City) is an award-winning American stage, film, radio, and television actress whose career has spanned six decades and who was elected to the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

The daughter of writer Gilbert Seldes, she grew up in a creative environment and studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Trained for the stage, she made her Broadway theatre debut in 1948 in a production of Medea. She went on to an illustrious career in which she has earned five Tony Award nominations, winning her first time out in 1967 for A Delicate Balance.

From 1967 to 1991, Seldes was a faculty member of the Juilliard School of Drama, and in 2002 she began teaching at Fordham University, Lincoln Center.

In addition to performing in live theatre, Seldes began acting in television in 1952 in a Hallmark Hall of Fame production that marked the first of many guest star roles that have continued into 2006. She also has performed in a number of motion pictures and in radio plays. Between 1974 and 1982, she appeared in 179 episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

Seldes was married to screenwriter/playwright Garson Kanin (Ruth Gordon's widower) from 1990 until his death in 1999. She has a daughter by her first marriage to Julian Claman, which ended in divorce in 1961.

Selected Broadway credits

• Dinner at Eight (2003 revival)
• 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001)
• Ivanov (1998)
• Home Alone 3 (1997)
• Deathtrap (1978)
• Equus (1974)
• A Delicate Balance (1966)
• Tiny Alice (1964)
• The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (1964)
• The Chalk Garden (1955)

Off-Broadway

• The Play About the Baby (2001 American premiere)
• Three Tall Women (1994)

Awards and nominations

• 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams, nominee)
• 2003 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Dinner at Eight, nominee)
• 2001 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play (The Play About the Baby, nominee)
• 2001 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (The Butterfly Collection, nominee)
• 1999 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Ring Round the Moon, nominee)
• 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Ring Round the Moon, nominee)
• 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Ivanov, nominee)
• 1978 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Deathtrap), nominee)
• 1971 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Father's Day, nominee)
• 1971 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance (Father's Day, winner)
• 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (A Delicate Balance, winner)

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