Who was Tammy Grimes? Everything You Need to Know

Tammy Lee Grimes was born on January 30, 1934, in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. Her father, Luther Nichols Grimes, was a farmer and country-club manager while her mother, Eola Willard, was a naturalist.

She attended Beaver Country Day School and later Stephens College. Grimes then attended New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse where she studied acting.

Continue Reading Below

Recommended Lists:

American Singers

Aquarius Actresses

American Actresses

American Women Singers

Career

Tammy Grimes made her stage debut in 1955 at the Neighborhood Playhouse in ‘Jonah and the Whale’. The same year, she launched her Broadway career with a starring role in the play ‘Bus Stop’.

She featured in ‘The Littlest Revue’, an off-Broadway production, in 1956. This was followed by a main role in the Broadway play ‘Look After Lulu’. During this time, Grimes also released her debut album titled ‘Julius Monk presents Tammy Grimes’.

She then starred in the 1960 musical ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’ and earned a Tony Award for her performance. Soon after this, she released two more albums: ‘Tammy Grimes’ and ‘The Unmistakable Tammy Grimes’.

Grimes next featured in the musical ‘High Spirits’ in 1964 and also appeared in an episode of CBS’ drama ‘Mr. Broadway’ that year. Two years later, she featured in her own TV series ‘The Tammy Grimes Show’ as an heiress who loves to spend money. The show ran for only a month due to poor ratings.

After appearing in the films ‘Three Bites of the Apple’ and ‘Play It as It Lays’, the actress had roles in the TV movies ‘The Horror at 37,000 Feet’ and ‘The Borrowers’.

In 1974, she lent her voice to the character of Albert in an animated television Christmas special titled ‘Twas the Night before Christmas’. After this, she played Diana in the play ‘California Suite’. This was followed by the role of Elmire in the Broadway production of ‘Tartuffe.’

In 1980, Grimes appeared in the musical ‘42nd Street.’ A year later, she narrated BBC's radio production of ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

She served as the host of CBS Radio Mystery Theater in 1982. That year, she also had a voice role in the American-Japanese fantasy film ‘The Last Unicorn’.

In the 1990s, she did the films ‘A Modern Affair’ and ‘Trouble on the Corner’. In 2007, she returned to the cabaret stage and appeared in a one-woman show.

Recommended Lists:

Women Film & Theater Personalities

American Film & Theater Personalities

American Female Film & Theater Personalities

Aquarius Women

Major Works

In 1969, Tammy Grimes featured in a revival of Noël Coward's comedy ‘Private Lives’. It follows a divorced couple, who, while on a honeymoon with their new partners, find out that they are staying at the same hotel and soon realize that they still have romantic feelings for each other. Grimes’ performance in the play earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress.

Family & Personal Life

On August 16, 1956, Tammy Grimes married Canadian actor Christopher Plummer. The couple had one daughter, Amanda, who also went on to become an actress. They divorced in 1960.

Grimes then married actor Jeremy Slate in 1966; they were divorced within a year. She eventually married composer Richard Bell. They remained together until Bell's death in 2005.

She died on October 30, 2016, from natural causes, aged 82.

Tammy Grimes Biography