New Delhi: Glynis Johns, a 100-year-old British actress most renowned for her portrayal of Winifred Banks in ‘Mary Poppins,’ passed away on Thursday (January 4th), reports Variety. According to Mitch Clem, the British actor's manager, she passed away “peacefully” in an assisted care facility in Los Angeles. Furthermore, according to ABC News, her publicist said that she passed away due to natural causes.


Clem expressed his "heavy heart" about losing the "beloved" celebrity in a statement with the PA news agency. 


Clem’s statement reads, “Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives. She entered my life early in my career and set a very high bar on how to navigate this industry with grace, class, and truth. Your own truth. Her light shined very brightly for 100 years. She had a wit that could stop you in your tracks powered by a heart that loved deeply and purely. Today is a somber day for Hollywood. Not only do we mourn the passing of our dear Glynis, but we mourn the end of the golden age of Hollywood.”


Glynis Margaret Payne Johns was born on October 5, 1923, in South Africa to Welsh parents who were heavily involved in the entertainment industry. From a young age, Johns had a strong and enduring love for acting. She starred in several films and was also a very skilled theatrical actress.


Johns made her cinematic debut in 1938 as a teenager, but she achieved significant recognition a decade later with her portrayal of a mermaid in the film ‘Miranda.’ Prior to her casting in Disney's ‘Mary Poppins’ novels, she had a twenty-year acting career in England.


More recently, Johns has been seen in English films, such as Denis Leary's 1994 comedy ‘The Ref,’ in which she portrayed the mother of Kevin Spacey's bickering character; nonetheless, Johns had a lengthy career in English cinema.


Not only did Johns have a successful career in film, but she also appeared in many television programmes, most notably the 1960s hit ‘Batman’ as Lady Penelope Peasoup. 


This British actress went through four marriages and divorces: to Anthony Forwood, David Ramsey Foster, Cecil Henderson, and Elliott Arnold.