Born in Baltimore, MD, she dabbled in amateur dramatics while still in high school but at the insistence of her parents went on to college at Johns Hopkins and a teaching career. However, she finally succumbed to the acting bug and, after appearing with various groups, made her Broadway debut in 1931. She scored a personal triumph in 1940 in the role of a Welsh schoolteacher in The Corn Is Green, a character part she was to repeat in her screen debut in the 1945 film version of the play, in support of Bette Davis. She subsequently played memorable character roles in many other plays, films, and TV dramas, notably as the wife in Death of a Salesman, which she portrayed on Broadway (1949) and in the film (1951) and TV (1966) versions. She was nominated for an Oscar for her performances in DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1951) and BABY DOLL (1956). Other notable (non-nominated) film credits include VIVA ZAPATA (1952), THE JAZZ SINGER (1953), THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955), LOVE ME TENDER (1956), PEYTON PLACE (1957), THE NUN'S STORY (1959), BUTTERFIELD 8 (1960), SOMETHING WILD (1961), SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH (1962), BEHOLD A PALE HORSE (1964), 7 WOMEN (1966), WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AUNT ALICE? (1969), THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1975), DRAGONFLY (1976) and her last film, THE PICKUP ARTIST (1987).  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1951: DEATH OF A SALESMAN  Nominated for Supporting Actress 1956: BABY DOLL 2 nominations