Shelly Winters, a Hollywood icon, died today of a heart attack at the age of 85.
The daughter of an opera singer, Winters is probably most remembered for her role in the high seas drama, “The Poseidon Adventure” which also starred, Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Stella Stevens and Leslie Nielsen. What many did not know is that Shelly also had a beautiful singing voice that rarely got highlighted in her on-screen performances.
Winters won two Oscars in her long 61 year career, “Diary of Anne Frank” and “A Patch of Blue.” No stranger to controversy, she also played opposite James Mason in the groundbreaking original big-screen version of “Lolita.” Her last feature film appearance was in the 1999 Italian made American mafia comedy, “La Bomba.”
Loved by everyone in the movie business, in her later years she was a favorite of Carson and Letterman’s late night talk shows and displayed a wacky sense of humor that audiences roared at. Her one line deliveries were exquisite. Here are just a few of her quotes that would drop Carson out of his seat:
” In Hollywood all marriages are happy. It’s trying to live together afterwards that causes all the problems.”
“I have bursts of being a lady, but it doesn’t last long.”
“I was so cold the other day, I almost got married.”
“I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.”
“I’m not overweight. I’m just nine inches too short.”
“Now that I’m over sixty I’m veering toward respectability.”
“Whenever you want to marry someone, go have lunch with his ex-wife.”
“Where do you go to get anorexia?”
Shelly Winters is survived by her daughter. Funeral announcements have yet to be announced.