TERESA WRIGHT BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Teresa Wright was born October 27th, 1918 with the birth name Muriel Teresa Wright in Harlem, New York City.  Her parents were Martha Epsy and Arthur Right.  Her parents divorced when she was young and so she spent most of her childhood being raised by various relatives in New York and New Jersey.  She was mostly raised in Maplewood, New Jersey and attended High School at Columbia High.  She became interested in acting in High School and during the summer months would work at Provincetown theater productions.  When she graduated from school in 1938 she moved to New York City and found a job as an understudy to play the role of Emily in, "Our Town".  It was also at this time that she changed her name to Teresa after finding out there was another female actress with the name Muriel in the Actors Equity.
 
After working on the play, "Life With Father" for a two year run a talent scout from Samuel Goldwyn saw her and hired her to play in, "The Little Foxes" (1941) and was then signed to a five year contract.  For her role in this film, Wright was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and again she was nominated for Best Actress in, "The Pride of the Yankees" (1942) starring Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig.   She finally won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role on "Mrs. Miniver" (1942).  Wright was the first actress to receive three nominations in a row for her first three major film roles and no one has ever duplicated this honor.
 
Her career continued to increase her popularity with another role on, "Shadow of a Doubt" (1943) where she was loaned out by Goldwyn Productions to Universal and received top billing.  Wright continued to follow with more lead roles in films such as "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) and "The Men" (1950).   
 
After she filmed, "Enchantment" (1948) she expressed to Goldwyn her thoughts on not publicizing the film and was therefore fired and lost her $5000 a week contract.  It was from here that the quality of films she was working on were at a dramatic decline.  
 
As her career entered into the 50's, Wright mostly worked on stage and television where she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role on, "The Miracle Worker" (1957).  She was cast in various films such as, "Count the Hours" (1953), "Track of the Cat" (1954) and "Escape in Japan" (1957) but these films were not successful.
 
She decided to focus on her stage career in plays such as, "Salt of the Earth" (1952) and "Bell, Book and Candle" (1953).  Her stage role on Broadway was on, "Death of a Salesman" (1975) and in 1980 she won a Drama Desk Award for her role on, "Morning's at Seven".  Her final stage role was in the play "On Borrowed Time" (1991).  Some of her later film roles were, "Somewhere in Time" (1980) and "The Rainmaker" (1997). 
 
Wright passed away on March 6th, 2005 from a heart attack in New Haven Hospital in Connecticut at the age of eighty six.  Wright married twice throughout her lifetime, first to a writer, Niven Busch from 1942 to 1952 and the couple had two children.  She then married a playwright, Robert Anderson in 1959.  This marriage too ended in divorce but she remained close friends with her second husband.
 
Wright was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Motion Picture Industry and for her contribution to television.         
 

Filmography

1997   The Rainmaker  
1996   Picket Fences 
1993   No Room for Opal
1993   The Red Coat
1991   Lethal Innocence
1990   Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception
1989   Dolphin Cove 
1988   Murder, She Wrote
1988   The Good Mother  
1987   The Fig Tree
1986   Guiding Light
1986   Morningstar/Eveningstar 
1983   Bill: On His Own
1982   The Love Boat
1982   Morning's at Seven
1980   Somewhere in Time  
1980   The Golden Honeymoon
1979   NBC Special Treat
1978   Grandpa Goes to Washington
1977   Roseland  
1976   Flood!
1976   Wide World Mystery
1974   The Elevator
1974   Hawkins 
1973   Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
1972   Crawlspace
1969   The Happy Ending 
1969   CBS Playhouse
1969   Hail, Hero!  
1969   Lancer
1964-1965  The Defenders
1964   The Alfred Hitchcock Hour 
1964   Bonanza
1962   The DuPont Show of the Week 
1954-1962  The United States Steel Hour  
1960   Sunday Showcase 
1959   Adventures in Paradise 
1958   The Restless Years  
1957   Playhouse 90 
1957   Escapade in Japan
1957   The Web 
1957   Undercurrent
1953-1957  The Ford Television Theatre
1952-1957  Schlitz Playhouse
1957   The Christophers 
1955-1956  The 20th Century-Fox Hour 
1956   The Search for Bridey Murphy
1956   Studio 57 
1956   Celebrity Playhouse
1955-1956  The Star and the Story
1956   Star Stage
1954-1956  Climax!
1955-1956  Four Star Playhouse
1956   Screen Directors Playhouse
1955   The Alcoa Hour
1955   Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951-1955  Lux Video Theatre 
1955   The Loretta Young Show
1955   Your Play Time 
1955   The Elgin Hour 
1955   G.E. True Theater
1954   Track of the Cat  
1953   The Actress  
1953   Count the Hours 
1952   The Steel Trap  
1952   Hollywood Opening Night 
1952   California Conquest  
1952   Robert Montgomery Presents 
1952   Something to Live For
1952   Your Show of Shows 
1950   The Men 
1950   The Capture  
1948   Enchantment  
1947   The Trouble with Women  
1947   The Imperfect Lady  
1947   Pursued  
1946   The Best Years of Our Lives  
1944   Casanova Brown  
1943   Shadow of a Doubt  
1942   The Pride of the Yankees
1942   Mrs. Miniver  
1941   The Little Foxes