TAMMY GRIMES - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 01/27/1986 - HFSID 318660

TAMMY GRIMES
The Tony award winning actress pens a short letter to Theatre World Editor John Willis, thanking him for birthday wishes
Autograph letter signed: "Tammy G.", in blue ink, 2 pages (front and verso), 5¼x3¼ closed, 5¼x6½ flat. New York City, January 27, 1986. Accompanied by unsigned hand addressed letter. To "Dear John," in full: "How sweet of you to remember my birthday. You are truly a most thoughtful and gracious human being and so totally part of all that is good in our world of theatre he in this band and beautiful city. Very truly yours." Grimmes dates the letter "Jan. 27, 1986" in bottom left corner, though slightly legible from moisture defects. Tammy Grimes (1934-2016) was a Tony Award-winning American actress. She studied drama at Stephens College in Missouri and New York's Neighborhood Playhouse before making her off-Broadway debut in The Littlest Revue (1959). Grimes developed a flamboyant, kooky on-stage persona with a resonant voice, which suited her well on stage. She has a total of 12 Broadway appearances with two Tony Award-winning performances, as Molly Tobin in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960-1962, 532 performances) and as Amanda Prynne in Private Lives (1970). She also has over 50 movies and TV shows to her credit, including the short-lived sitcom The Tammy Grimes Show, which lasted three seasons. Theatre World, founded in 1945 by Daniel Blum, is America's oldest annual record of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatre, referenced by industry professionals, historians, students and theatre fans worldwide. Until 1998, when a separate nonprofit corporation was established, Theatre World's editorial staff bestowed the prestigious Theatre World Awards for outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts. Screen World (from 1950) and Dance World (from 1966), administered from the same office, furnished comprehensive information on those entertainment genres. John A. Willis (1916-2010), active in Theatre World from the beginning, became its chief editor in 1965, holding that position until 2008. Willis is regarded as one of the foremost theatre and film historians of the 20th century. While producing (and presenting) the annual Theatre World Awards, Willis also served on the nominating committee for the Tony Awards. Theatre World, which received its own Tony for Excellence in Theatre in 2001, continues under chief editor Ben Hodges. Moisture defects affecting signature (legible). Creased and lightly toned.