Glynis Johns, best known for role in ‘Mary Poppins’ as Mrs. Winifred Banks, dies at 100

Glynis Johns, the British actor better known to audiences as the pro-suffrage mother in “Mary Poppins,” has died. She was 100.

The actor’s manager of 25 years, Mitch Clem, confirmed in a statement provided to NBC News that Glynis died peacefully on the morning of Jan. 5 in Los Angeles at an assisted living home where she’d lived for several years.

“My heart is heavy today with the passing of my beloved client Glynis Johns,” 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.”

Generations of viewers will likely recall seeing Johns take on Mrs. Banks, a sash-wearing suffragette mother, in the Disney classic “Mary Poppins.” The film starred famed Hollywood actors Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. For her work in the film, Johns won the 1965 Laurel Awards for Female Supporting Performance.

Before “Mary Poppins,” Johns carved out a respectable career for herself in entertainment. One of her earliest roles was as a playful mermaid who upturns a family’s household in the black-and-white comedy “Mermaid,” which debuted in 1948.

In 1942, she received the Best Acting award from the National Board of Review. She received an Oscar nomination for her part in the 1960 film “The Sundowners,” and according to the British Film Institute, she was the oldest living Academy Award nominee up until her death.

By the mid-60s, Johns had nabbed her own American sitcom. Titled “Glynis,” the series aired on CBS in 1963 and featured her as a mystery writer and crime-solver named Glynis Granville. The comedy ran for one season.

Later in her career, Johns appeared in the 1995 romantic comedy film “While You Were Sleeping,” starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. She also played grandmother to Molly Shannon in the 1999 breakout comedy “Superstar.”

According to Clem, Johns will be buried next to her father in the United Kingdom. She is survived by a grandson and three great-grandchildren who all live in Paris, France.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com