Joan Lorring (born Madeline Ellis; April 17, 1926 – May 30, 2014) was an American actress whose professional work ranged from radio and stage to film and television. She is best remembered for her supporting performance as Bessie Watty in the 1945 film The Corn Is Green, in which she appeared opposite Bette Davis. That role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and brought wider public attention to her career.

Early life and emigration

Lorring was born in Hong Kong. Sources give her birth name variously as Madeline or Mary Magdalene Ellis; she later adopted the stage name Joan Lorring. As a child she lived in Hong Kong until 1939, a period that ended for many residents with the onset of the Japanese invasion of China and the surrounding region. After leaving Hong Kong, she and her mother settled in San Francisco, California, where she began opportunities in entertainment and broadcasting.

Career and artistic range

Lorring's professional life spanned from the mid-1940s into the early 1980s. She began in radio, where she was sometimes billed by the nickname "Dellie" and performed in dramatic programs and serials on radio. As motion pictures and live theater opened doors, she moved between media, taking supporting film parts and appearing on stage and television. Her career is notable for the diversity of formats she worked in rather than a single long-running starring vehicle.

Notable role and recognition

The film that shaped Lorring's public reputation was The Corn Is Green (1945), an adaptation of the stage play. Her portrayal of Bessie Watty—an emotionally resonant, difficult role—was singled out by critics and led to an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. That honor remains the most widely cited recognition of her screen work.

Personal life and later years

In 1956 Lorring married Martin Sonenberg, an endocrinologist from New York. The couple had two daughters, Andrea and Santha, and remained married until his death in June 2011. After a long retirement from regular acting work, Joan Lorring died of natural causes on May 30, 2014, in Sleepy Hollow, New York, at the age of 88.

Legacy and context

Lorring is remembered as a versatile performer whose career touched several major mid-20th-century entertainment forms: radio drama, feature films, stage productions and television. While she did not become a household name on the scale of some contemporaries, her Academy Award nomination and her work with prominent artists of the era mark her as a respected character actress of her generation.

  • Mediums: radio, stage, film, television (radio noted)
  • Best-known credit: The Corn Is Green (1945)
  • Awards: Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress (nomination)