Discover
Eileen Heckart was an American actress whose career spanned nearly 60 years. She first became known for her role as schoolteacher Rosemary Sydney in the original 1953 cast of William Inge's play Picnic on Broadway. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the overprotective mother of a blind adult son in Butterflies Are Free (1972), a role she originated on Broadway before playing it in the film.
Birth Name
Anna Eileen Stark
Born
Saturday, 29 March 1919
Died
Monday, 31 December 2001
Actress Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The 74th Annual Academy Awards | Self - Memorial Tribute | 2002 |
| The 54th Annual Tony Awards | Self - Winner | 2000 |
| The First Wives Club | Catherine MacDuggan | 1996 |
| Murder One | Frances Wyler | 1995 |
| Cybill | Marge | 1995 |
| The 5 Mrs. Buchanans | Mother Emma Buchanan | 1994 |
| The Suzanne Somers Show | Self - Guest | 1994 |
| Ellen | Grandma | 1994 |
| Ultimate Betrayal | Sarah McNeil | 1994 |
| Breathing Lessons | Mabel | 1994 |
Actress Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The 74th Annual Academy Awards | Self - Memorial Tribute | 2002 |
| The 54th Annual Tony Awards | Self - Winner | 2000 |
| The First Wives Club | Catherine MacDuggan | 1996 |
| Murder One | Frances Wyler | 1995 |
| Cybill | Marge | 1995 |
| The 5 Mrs. Buchanans | Mother Emma Buchanan | 1994 |
| The Suzanne Somers Show | Self - Guest | 1994 |
| Ellen | Grandma | 1994 |
| Ultimate Betrayal | Sarah McNeil | 1994 |
| Breathing Lessons | Mabel | 1994 |
| Love & War | Rose Stein | 1992 |
| Home Improvement | Elaine Jenkins | 1991 |
| Annie McGuire | Emma Block | 1988 |
| Seize the Day | Funeral Woman #1 | 1987 |
| Heartbreak Ridge | Little Mary / Little Mary Jackson | 1986 |
| The Ellen Burstyn Show | Nathalie Garrett | 1986 |
| Josh, the Logan Legend | Self | 1986 |
| Partners in Crime | Jeanine | 1984 |
| The Cosby Show | Mrs. Hickson | 1984 |
| Highway to Heaven | Helen Spencer | 1984 |
| Tales from the Darkside | Rose Pennywell | 1983 |
| Trauma Center | Nurse Amy Decker | 1983 |
| Gloria | Gwendolyn Padnick | 1982 |
| The Big Black Pill | Sister Clara | 1981 |
| F.D.R.: The Last Year | Eleanor Roosevelt | 1980 |
| White Mama | Three Bag Lady | 1980 |
| The Sorrows of Gin | Rosemary | 1979 |
| 3 by Cheever | Rosemary | 1979 |
| Trapper John, M.D. | Lydia Pearl / Thelma | 1979 |
| Out of the Blue | The Boss Angel | 1979 |
| Backstairs at the White House | Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt / Eleanor Roosevelt | 1979 |
| The Honeymooners | Mrs. Gibson - Alice's Mother | 1978 |
| Suddenly, Love | Mrs. Malloy | 1978 |
| Flying High | Ruthie | 1978 |
| The Honeymooners | Alice's mother | 1977 |
| Lou Grant | Flo Meredith | 1977 |
| Alice | Rose Hyatt | 1976 |
| Burnt Offerings | Roz Allardyce | 1976 |
| The Hiding Place | Katje | 1975 |
| Switch | Annie Warren | 1975 |
| The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One | Ma Barker | 1974 |
| Rhoda | Aunt Lillian Fiedler | 1974 |
| Zandy's Bride | Ma Allan | 1974 |
| Wedding Band | Herman's Mother | 1974 |
| Little House on the Prairie | Amanda Cooper | 1974 |
| Love Story | Marge Stone | 1973 |
| Barnaby Jones | Virginia Lennox / Steele | 1973 |
| The Victim | Mrs. Hawkes | 1972 |
| The Streets of San Francisco | Stella 'Stell' Charnovski | 1972 |
| Butterflies Are Free | Mrs. Baker / Mrs. Florence Baker | 1972 |
| Banyon | Mrs. Shaw | 1971 |
| The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Flo Meredith | 1970 |
| The Tree | Sally Dunning | 1969 |
| Hawaii Five-O | Agatha Henderson | 1968 |
| No Way to Treat a Lady | Mrs. Brummel | 1968 |
| Up the Down Staircase | Henrietta Pastorfield | 1967 |
| CBS Playhouse | Janet Furguson | 1967 |
| The Felony Squad | Ruth Ehlers | 1966 |
| The F.B.I. | Mrs. Creighton | 1965 |
| The Fugitive | Sister Veronica | 1963 |
| My Six Loves | Ethel | 1963 |
| The Eleventh Hour | Bea Miller | 1962 |
| The Doctors and the Nurses | Harriet Watts | 1962 |
| The Mike Douglas Show | Herself - Actress / Herself - Guest | 1961 |
| The New Breed | Harriet Dawson | 1961 |
| Ben Casey | Polly Jenks | 1961 |
| Dr. Kildare | Nurse Jenny Freesmith | 1961 |
| The Defenders | Dr. Katherine Tasso | 1961 |
| Heller in Pink Tights | Mrs. Lorna Hathaway | 1960 |
| A Doll's House | Kristine Lind / Kristine | 1959 |
| Play of the Week | Goldie / Myrtle | 1959 |
| Naked City | Mildred Pepper / Virginia Cort | 1958 |
| Hot Spell | Alma's Friend | 1958 |
| Playhouse 90 | Dorothy / Rose | 1956 |
| The Bad Seed | Hortense Daigle / Mrs. Hortense Daigle | 1956 |
| Bus Stop | Vera | 1956 |
| Somebody Up There Likes Me | Ma Barbella | 1956 |
| Miracle in the Rain | Grace Ullman | 1956 |
| The Alcoa Hour | Vi Miller | 1955 |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Lucy Baldwin | 1955 |
| Gunsmoke | Athena Partridge Royce / Hattie Silks | 1955 |
| Windows | Seamstress | 1955 |
| Campbell Summer Soundstage | Aunt Polly | 1952 |
| Goodyear Playhouse | Ruthie / Inez / Kate | 1951 |
| Lux Video Theatre | Miss Green / Florie | 1950 |
| The Web | (as Irene Heckart) | 1950 |
| The Big Story | Ruth Mugglebee | 1949 |
| Suspense | Mrs. Haskell / Mollie / Margaret Quartermain | 1949 |
| Studio One | Evie Jackson / Babs | 1948 |
| The Ford Theatre Hour | Carrie | 1948 |
| The Philco Television Playhouse | Ruthie | 1948 |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | Self | 1948 |
| Kraft Theatre | Courtesan | 1947 |
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1994 | Emmy | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Won |
| 1988 | Emmy | Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| 1980 | Emmy | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special | Nominated |
| 1979 | Emmy | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special | Nominated |
| 1977 | Emmy | Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Series | Nominated |
| 1976 | Emmy | Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Series | Nominated |
| 1975 | Emmy | Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Special | Nominated |
| 1973 | Oscar | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Won |
| 1957 | Oscar | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Nominated |
| 1957 | Golden Globe | Best Supporting Actress | Won |
