Knowra Shirley Booth Shirley Booth Shirley Booth (1898–1992) was an American actress whose career spanned Broadway, film, and television. She won major awards for playing Lola Delaney in Come Back, Little Sheba and the title character in Hazel .
Come Back, Little Sheba : A 1950 play by William Inge about a married couple confronting loneliness, regret, and alcoholism. Booth’s performance as Lola Delaney won her the 1950 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
William Inge : An American playwright whose dramas often portray ordinary people confronting private disappointment. Inge wrote the role of Lola Delaney that brought Booth renewed acclaim on Broadway.
Academy Award for Best Actress : An annual award presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a leading performance by an actress. Booth won it for the 1952 film Come Back, Little Sheba .
Mildred Natwick : An American actress known for extensive stage work and distinctive roles in film and television. Natwick played the other lead in The Matchmaker ’s original Broadway production, opposite Booth’s Dolly Levi.
Come Back, Little Sheba (film) : A 1952 film adaptation of William Inge’s play, directed by Daniel Mann. Booth reprised her stage role as Lola and won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Daniel Mann : An American stage and film director whose work included adaptations of major plays. Mann directed Booth in the Broadway and film versions of Come Back, Little Sheba .
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play : A Tony Award category honoring leading performances by actresses in Broadway plays. Booth won the award for Come Back, Little Sheba and later for The Matchmaker .
Jean Stapleton : An American actress known for playing Edith Bunker in the sitcom All in the Family . Stapleton’s later television matriarch offers a contrasting comic performance to Booth’s Hazel.
The Time of the Cuckoo : A 1952 Broadway play by Arthur Laurents about an American tourist who falls in love in Venice. Booth earned another Tony nomination for playing the lonely tourist Leona Samish.
Thornton Wilder : An American novelist and playwright, author of Our Town and The Matchmaker . Wilder’s Dolly Levi gave Booth another celebrated comic role on Broadway.
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