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Lee Grant: Roles
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Born in New York City, Ms. Grant made her stage debut at age 4 at the Metropolitan Opera. After graduating from high school, she won a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. While still a teenager she won The Critics' Circle Award for her portrayal of the jittery shoplifter in the original Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley's "Detective Story." She made her film debut repising that role (for director William Wyler), in a performance that won her the Best Actress award at Cannes, along with her first Oscar nomination. But shortly after, she became a victim of the McCarthy blacklists and would work only sporadically for the next 10 years.
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Her subsequent screen roles have been of varying quality, although Grant always brings a professionalism and degree of excellence to even the smallest role. After striking out as a sitcom lead in the underrated "Fay" (NBC, 1975), she delivered a fine portrayal of First Lady Grace Coolidge in "Backstairs at the White House" (NBC, 1979), was the domineering mother of actress Frances Farmer in "Will There Really Be a Morning?" (CBS, 1983) and excelled as Dora Cohn, mother of "Roy Cohn" (HBO, 1992). On the big screen, Grant lent her substantial abilities to "Teachers" (1984) as a hard-nosed school superintendent, "Defending Your Life" (1991), as an elegant prosecutor sparring with adversary Rip Torn, and "It's My Party" (1996), as the mother of man suffering from complications from AIDS.
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The role won Grant a Critics Circle Award. She reprised the role in the 1951 film version and earned an Oscar nomination and the {~Cannes Festival}'s Best Actress award. Her promising film career abruptly derailed when the House Un-American Activities Committee tried forcing Grant to testify against her already blacklisted playwright husband, Arnold Manoff.
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