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Guide to the Dame Judith Anderson Collection, ca. 1915-1980s
PA Mss 6
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Title: Dame Judith Anderson Collection,
Date (inclusive): ca. 1915-1980s
Collection number: PA Mss 6
Creator: Anderson, Dame Judith
Extent: 20 lin. ft. (49 boxes and 2 artifacts)
Repository:
University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Dept. of Special Collections
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Shelf location: For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Abstract: The collection includes papers of the Australian born actress noted for her stage, radio, and television work, particularly
her Shakespearean roles. The collection includes scripts, photographs, scrapbooks, and correspondence.
Language:
English.
[see coll. files.]
None.
Use Restrictions: None.
[Identification of item], Dame Judith Anderson Collection, PA Mss 6, Department of Special Collections, University Libraries,
University of California, Santa Barbara.
[from
Independent obituary] "Born Frances Margaret Anderson-Anderson, in Adelaide, South Australia, on February 10, 1898, she made her first
appearance on state in 1915. She soon began touring with Australian companies and made her first New York debut in 1918. After
small parts at first, by 1921 she was playing leading roles in stock companies in Boston and Albany. After a decade of continuous
work, including three plays in Australia, Anderson succeeded Lynn Fontaine as Nina Leeds in Strange Interludes. In 1932 she
toured with the Eugene O'Neill trilogy Mourning Becomes Electra, which opened at New York's Alvin Theatre.
The list of roles is long and impressive in its challenge and diversity. From O'Neill to her incomparable Lady Macbeth and
Medea to the matriarch in NBC's soap
Santa Barbara, Anderson brought her unique presence and force to the stage. Her striking looks and demeanor were unforgettable images to
stage and screen audiences. Probably her best-known part, that of Mrs. Danvers, the deranged housekeeper in Hitchcock's 1940
classic
Rebecca, forever typecast her in the minds of the viewing public ...
After 45 years on stage and in films, Anderson was given the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth
II in 1950.
Dame Judith lived quietly in Santa Barbara for almost 50 years, making a significant and generous contribution to the local
theater community during that time. In her long relationship with the Lobero Theatre Foundation, Anderson performed numerous
times at the theater..."
She died January 3, 1991, in her home on San Ysidro Road in Montecito.