Anna Maria Italiano was born 1931 in the Bronx, New York. She made her cinema debut in 1952 in Don't Bother to Knock. In the fifties she made a lot of movies as a supporting actress until she became a star with The Miracle Worker, directed by Arthur Penn, for which she won an Academy Award. The sixties in general were her best years: The Pumpkin Eater directed by Jack Clayton, 7 Women directed by John Ford and The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols. In 1964 she married Mel Brooks. After the sixties she reduced her appearances in movies but still had some important roles like, for example, Garbo Talks directed by Sidney Lumet. She also began to make some TV films.



"Freddie and Max" (1990): £ 250,000

Was a leading choice to play the mother in Terms of Endearment (1983). She and Mel Brooks met on the set of a TV talk show, and Mel later paid a woman who worked on the show to tell him which restaurant Anne was going to eat at that night so he could "accidentally" bump into her again and strike up a conversation. She and Mel Brooks married at New York City Hall, where a passer-by served as their witness. Nieces: Julie and Teresa. She received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television. You can find the star at 6368 Hollywood Bld. Sisters: Joanne (older) and Phyllis (younger) 1999: She became the 15th performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscar: Best Actress, The Miracle Worker (1962), Tonys: Best Supporting Actress-Play, "Two for the Seesaw" (1958) & Best Actress-Play, "The Miracle Worker" (1960), and Emmy: Best Supporting Actress-Miniseries/Movie, Deep in My Heart (1999) (TV). Has won two Tony Awards: in 1958, as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Two For The Seesaw," and in 1960, as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "The Miracle Worker," a role she recreated in her Oscar-winning performance in the film version of the same name, The Miracle Worker (1962). She was also Tony nominated in 1978 as Best Actress (Play) for "Golda," in which she played the title character, Golda Meir. 1993: She (together with Dustin Hoffman) accepted the Oscar for "Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium" on behalf of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony. 1987: Was booked to appear on the British chat show "Wogan" (1982). In the green room five minutes before airtime, host Terry Wogan informed her that the show was live. According to Wogan she turned a deathly shade of pale and said she never did live television. In order to calm her down, Wogan suggested that she count 1, 2, 3... before walking on. When she was called onto the set, she could quite noticeably be seen counting whilst walking to her seat. She remained very uncomfortable and all her answers were monosyllabic. Wogan still says she was his most difficult guest. She said that at the start of her career, 20th Century-Fox thought that her real name--Anna Maria Italiano--was "too ethnic," and gave her several options for a new one. She chose Bancroft because she thought it sounded dignified. She, Mel Brooks and their son Max Brooks all are Emmy-winners. Was the original choice to play Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981), she left the project once the screenplay was completed. Said that for many years after doing The Graduate (1967), young men would tell her that she was the first woman they had sexual fantasies about. 6/05: At her memorial service in NYC, Paul Simon sang "Mrs Robinson" and she was eulogized by her The Miracle Worker (1962) costar Patty Duke. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 29-31. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007. Godmother of Dom DeLuise's youngest son David DeLuise.