Born in New York City, the daughter of architect and stage designer Norman Bel Geddes. First stage appearance in 1940, a walk-on in The School for Scandal in summer stock. She made her Broadway debut the following year as the ingenue in Out of the Frying Pan and then appeared in many plays, including The Moon Is Blue (1951), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) and Mary Mary (1961). In 1945 she won a New York Drama Critics Award for her portrayal in Deep Are the Roots. She made a strong impression with her first screen role in THE LONG NIGHT (1947) and was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar® for I REMEMBER MAMA (1948), but in spite of continued critical acclaim, her screen appearances were few. They include BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948), CAUGHT (1949), PANIC IN THE STREETS (1950), FOURTEEN HOURS (1951). Her career was interrupted when she was named as a fellow Communist by Elia Kazan. After a seven-year blacklisting, she returned to films with VERTIGO (1958), THE FIVE PENNIES (1959), 5 BRANDED WOMEN (1960), BY LOVE POSSESSED (1961) and SUMMERTREE and THE TODD KILLINGS (both 1971). She played the matriarch of the Ewing clan on the long-running TV show "Dallas" (1979-1990).  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1948: I REMEMBER MAMA 1 nomination