In Memoriam

Anne Bancroft 1931-2005


© Associated Press, 1963 / Washington Post, 2005

"To be somebody, to me, meant to be Marlene Dietrich or Jean Harlow and drag fox furs around the floor. I had no idea that acting meant digging into yourself and coming up with something that resembled truth. That all came to me later. First I had to discover myself." Anne Bancroft
"Beauty is only skin deep, and beneath my skin, I'm a slob. I burp and I slurp in public. I kick off my shoes and scratch myself at dignified banquets. I can whistle like a man and sometimes I whistle at men. I know it's not ladylike but then, I'm no lady. I tried it once and it was a lousy bore." Anne Bancroft
"I don't buy furs anymore. I buy freedom by not working unless something moves me." Anne Bancroft

"She was the most wonderfully rich, malleable, interesting, independent actress I ever worked with. She can play anything." Arthur Penn
"She and I spent a moment in time that can never be re-created. By her example, she was a teacher to me. What she gave me in those times has taken me through my whole life." Patty Duke
"Ms. Bancroft was a combination of brains, humor, frankness and sense. . . . Her beauty was constantly shifting with her roles, and because she was a consummate actress, she changed radically for every part." Mike Nichols