Mary Poppins actress Glynis Johns dies aged 100, manager confirms

Actress Glynis Johns, most known for her role as Mrs Banks in the 1964 film Mary Poppins, has died at the age of 100, her manager confirmed.

Johns, who won a Tony Award in 1973 for playing Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music on Broadway, starred opposite Dame Julie Andrews in the classic movie where she played Winifred Banks, the suffragette mother of the children in need of a nanny.

Mitch Clem, her manager, said Johns had died “peacefully” on Thursday in Los Angeles.

In a statement he said: “My heart is heavy today with the passing of my beloved client Glynis Johns.

“Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives.

“She entered my life early in my career and set a very high bar on how to navigate this industry with grace, class, and truth. Your own truth. Her light shined very brightly for 100 years.

“She had a wit that could stop you in your tracks powered by a heart that loved deeply and purely.

“Today is a sombre day for Hollywood. Not only do we mourn the passing of our dear Glynis, but we mourn the end of the golden age of Hollywood.”

The Tony Awards paid tribute to the actress on X, formerly Twitter, saying “she will be missed”.

It tweeted: “She is remembered for so many roles, including Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music for which she won her Tony. She will be missed.”

Johns was known to be a perfectionist about her profession, telling the Associated Press in 1990: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in playing the role on only one level.

“The whole point of first-class acting is to make a reality of it. To be real.

“And I have to make sense of it in my own mind in order to be real.”

The actress was the first to sing composer Stephen Sondheim’s most famous ballad, Send In The Clowns, which he wrote for her role in the musical for which she won her Tony.

However, she lost the part to Elizabeth Taylor in the 1977 film version.

Johns was nominated for an Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for 1960 film The Sundowners.

Her final acting credits include the role of Rose in 1994 film The Ref, also known as Hostile Hostages, and Grandma in the 1999 movie Superstar, co-starring Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell.

Mary Poppins received five Oscars and remains one of the most enduringly popular movies made by Walt Disney.

Johns sang Sister Suffragette, a call for women to have the vote, in the film.