Anne Bancroft » Trivia

Was a leading choice to play the mother in Terms of Endearment (1983).

Was offered the role of Chris MacNeil (the mother) in The Exorcist (1973), but had to turn it down because she was pregnant.

She and Mel Brooks met on the set of a TV talk show, and Mel later paid a woman who worked on the show to tell him which restaurant Anne was going to eat at that night so he could "accidentally" bump into her again and strike up a conversation.

Graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.

She and Mel Brooks married at New York City Hall, where a passer-by served as their witness.

Has two sisters.

Said that director Arthur Penn had the greatest impact on her career.

Son with Mel Brooks: Max Brooks, born 1972.

Has won two Tony Awards: in 1958, as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Two For The Seesaw," and in 1960, as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "The Miracle Worker," a role she recreated in her Oscar-winning performance in the film version of the same name, The Miracle Worker (1962). She was also Tony nominated in 1978 as Best Actress (Play) for "Golda," in which she played the title character, Golda Meir.

She was only 6 years older than Dustin Hoffman when she played his girlfriend's mother in The Graduate (1967).

She said that at the start of her career, 20th Century-Fox thought that her real name--Anna Maria Italiano--was "too ethnic," and gave her several options for a new one. She chose Bancroft because she thought it sounded dignified.

A Catholic Italian-American girl, she converted to Judaism after marrying Mel Brooks.

She, Mel Brooks and their son Max Brooks all are Emmy-winners.

Her performance as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate (1967) is ranked #47 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Was the original choice to play Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981), she left the project once the screenplay was completed.