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Marian Seldes, Broadway Legend, Acting Teacher to the Stars, Dies at 86

Broadway legend Marian Seldes has died
Broadway legend Marian Seldes has died

Broadway legend and acting teacher Marian Seldes has died. The actress passed away in her New York home on Monday, Oct. 6 at the age of 86, her brother, Timothy Seldes, announced in a statement.

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The award-winning actress, who won a Guinness World Record for appearing in every performance of Death Trap during its four-year run on Broadway, also won a Tony Award in 1967 for her performance in A Delicate Balance. In 2010 she received another Tony (this time an honorary one) for her lifetime's work.

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As well as starring in countless Broadway productions, including her most recent outing in Terrence McNally's Deuce in 2007 opposite Angela Lansbury, Seldes was also a teacher. From 1969 to 1992 she taught at the Juilliard School, counting Kevin Kline, Robin Williams, Laura Linney, Kevin Spacey and Christopher Reeve amongst her former pupils.

The versatile actress also appeared in numerous TV and movie roles, from Home Alone 3 and Mona Lisa Smile to Sex and the City where she played mother to Chris Noth's Mr Big.

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"It is with deep sadness that I share the news that my dear sister Marian Seldes has died," her brother announced. "She was an extraordinary woman whose great love of the theater, teaching and acting was surpassed only by her deep love for her family."

Seldes second husband Garson Kanin died in 1999 (her first marriage to writer Julian Claman ended in divorce). She is survived by her daughter Katherine Claman and her three grandsons.

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