Women's History Month 2026: Colleen Dewhurst

Colleen Dewhurst (‘47) built a remarkable career across stage, film, and television, earning a reputation as one of the most commanding performers of her generation. The Canadian-American for her emotional depth and formidable stage presence, Dewhurst became a defining figure of American theatre in the second half of the twentieth century.

Her work on Broadway brought some of her greatest acclaim. In 1961, Dewhurst won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress for her performance in the play All the Way Home. More than a decade later, she earned another Tony for her powerful portrayal of Josie Hogan in the 1974 Broadway revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O'Neill, playing across Academy alum Jason Robards.

Earlier in her career, Dewhurst was closely associated with the vibrant Off-Broadway movement led by producer and director Joseph Papp. She appeared as Katharina in a 1956 production of The Taming of the Shrew and later performed several major Shakespearean roles for Papp, including Cleopatra and Lady M. Years later, she returned to Shakespeare in Central Park, playing Gertrude in Hamlet at the Delacorte Theatre.

Dewhurst also collaborated with some of the most important playwrights of the era. Director José Quintero cast her in major productions of O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night and Mourning Becomes Electra. She later appeared in Edward Albee’s adaptation of The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers and played Martha in a Broadway revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? alongside Ben Gazzara, directed by Albee himself.

Beyond the stage, Dewhurst was a prolific screen actor. She appeared in television productions including Alfred Hitchcock Presents and acted alongside Ingrid Bergman in the Broadway production of More Stately Mansions.

Later in her career, Dewhurst found a new generation of fans through television. She portrayed Marilla Cuthbert in the beloved 1985 adaptation Anne of Green Gables and its sequel Anne of Avonlea, as well as the series Road to Avonlea. Her performance as Avery Brown, the sharp-tongued mother of the title character in Murphy Brown opposite Candice Bergen earned her two Emmy Awards, one of them awarded posthumously.

Over the course of her career, Dewhurst won two Tony Awards and four Emmy Awards, recognition of her extraordinary contributions to both stage and screen. She was also a dedicated advocate for actors, serving as president of the Actors' Equity Association from 1985 until her death in 1991, becoming the first national president of the union to die while in office.

From Shakespeare to contemporary drama, and from Broadway to television screens, Colleen Dewhurst’s legacy remains that of a fearless and deeply respected performer whose work left an enduring mark on American theatre and film.