Shirley Booth Height, Weight, Age, Death, Biography

Shirley Booth was an American actress known for being one of the finest Broadway female stars. She was also one of 24 performers to receive the Triple Crown of Acting, an Academy Award, 2 Primetime Emmy Awards, and 3 Tony Awards.

Born Name

Thelma Marjorie Ford

Nick Name

Shirley Booth

Age

Shirley Booth was born on August 30, 1898.

Died

Shirley Booth died on October 16, 1992, at the age of 94 in North Chatham, Massachusetts, United States due to natural causes.

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Nationality

Education

Shirley attended the P.S. 152 School of Science & Technology in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

Occupation

Actress

Family

• Father – Albert James Ford
• Mother – Virginia M. (née Wright) Ford
• Siblings – Jean Valentine Ford (Younger Sister)
• Others – Albert James Ford (Paternal Grandfather), Jane/Jennie Blanson/Bladson (Paternal Grandmother), John F. Wright (Maternal Grandfather), Margaret Casson (Maternal Grandmother)

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 1½ in or 156 cm

Weight

60 kg or 132 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Shirley had dated –

1. Ed Gardner (1924-1942) – Shirley tied the knot with comic actor, writer, and director Ed Gardner on November 23, 1924. However, they divorced in 1942.
2. William H. Baker Jr. (1943-1951) – A year after her divorce from Ed, Shirley married  William H. Baker Jr., a corporal in the U.S. Army in 1943 and they remained married until he died in 1951.

Race / Ethnicity

White

Shirley had English ancestry on her father’s side and Northern Irish, English, and Irish ancestry on her mother’s side.

Hair Color

Blonde

Eye Color

Blue (With a hint of brown)

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Her thin eyebrows and lips

Shirley Booth Facts

1. She was raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
2. In the 1900 New York state census, she was listed as “Thelma Booth Ford.”
3. At the age of 7, Booth and her family relocated to Philadelphia. It was after relocating there that she discovered her passion for acting after witnessing a stage performance.
4. In her teenage years, Shirley and her family moved to Hartford, Connecticut where she joined a summer stock theater.
5. Shirley made her debut on stage with her appearance in the play Mother Carey’s Chickens.
6. Despite her father’s will, Shirley dropped out of school and moved to New York City, New York to pursue her passion for acting under the stage name “Thelma Booth.” However, when her father forbade her from using the family name, she changed her stage name to “Shirley Booth.”
7. Primarily, Shirley worked in stage producing, one of her earliest works being with the Pittsburgh theatre, performing with the Sharp Company. Her debut was in Hell’s Bells, with Humphrey Bogart, on January 26, 1925.
8. She received her first Tony Award, for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic), for her portrayal of Grace Woods in Goodbye, My Fancy (1948). After that, she went on to receive two more Tony Awards.
9. After her husband Baker’s death, she never remarried and had no children either.
10. Booth received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6850 Hollywood Boulevard.
11. Shirley announced her retirement from acting in 1974 and moved to North Chatham, Massachusetts where she lived with her two cats and poodle. While there, she spent most of her time painting and doing needlework.
12. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in November 1979. However, her award was accepted on her behalf by actress Celeste Holm due to her absence.
13. Her health began to deteriorate in 1976, after which she suffered a stroke which caused mobility issues and blindness. Later, in 1979, Shirley broke her hip which made life harder for her.
14. She passed away on October 16, 1992, at her home in North Chatham due to natural causes.
15. Shirley was interred in the Mount Hebron Cemetery at the Baker family plot in Montclair, New Jersey.
16. Her film and television credits include Come Back, Little Sheba, About Mrs. Leslie, Hot Spell, The Touch of Grace, CBS Playhouse, and The Matchmaker.

Featured Image By The Theatre Guild/photographer Marcus Blechman. New York / Wikimedia / Public Domain