Frances Sternhagen, the Tony Award-winning actress who played leading roles in stage productions of “Driving Miss Daisy” and “On Golden Pond”, passed away at the age of 93 in her New Rochelle, New York home. She often played formidable older women while still young enough that required her to wear aging makeup.
Her son Tony Carlin confirmed her death.
Ms. Sternhagen won Tony Awards for her performances in 1995 Broadway revival of “The Heiress” and Neil Simon’s 1973 comedy sketches play “The Good Doctor”. With mature Off Broadway roles in “Driving Miss Daisy” and “On Golden Pond,” Ms. Sternhagen received Tony nominations for her performances in “On Golden Pond,” “Equus” and “Angel” and for revivals of “Morning’s at Seven” and “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.”
Aside from her work on the stage, Ms. Sternhagen was also known for her television work. Notable recurring roles include in “Cheers”, “ER,” “Sex and the City” and “The Closer.” She received three Emmy Award nominations. In addition to her television work, she also appeared in some two dozen films, including “Starting Over,” “Bright Lights, Big City,” and “Julie & Julia.”
Ms. Sternhagen’s career began in Off Broadway productions including her New York stage debut at 25 in Jean Anouilh’s “Thieves’ Carnival.” She was the recipient of several Obie Awards throughout her career.
Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times wrote in 1959 that “When an intellectual comedy is about to be staged, it is always a wise notion to send for Frances Sternhagen. She is the mistress of sardonic fooling.”
Ms. Sternhagen married fellow actor Thomas Carlin in 1956. He passed away in 1991.
In 2001, Ms. Sternhagen talked to drama students at Vassar College and about her preference for working from the outside in when portraying characters, as well as attributed a good deal of her personal development to acting.