Anne Pitoniak
Encyclopedia
Anne Pitoniak was an American
actress. She was nominated twice for Broadway's Tony Award
: as Best Actress (Play) in 1983, for 'night, Mother
, and as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) in 1994, for a revival of William Inge
's Picnic
.
, the daughter of Sophie (née
Porubovic) and John Pitoniak. She was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
. She spent two years as a civilian actress immediately after World War II, touring Japan, the Philippines and Korea for the Army's Special Services division. She met her future husband, Jerome Milord, then a soldier, when they were both in a U.S.O. show in Japan.
she played a woman who desperately tries to keep her daughter from killing herself. The play had its premiere at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then moved to Broadway. Both Pitoniak and co-star Kathy Bates
received Best Actress Tony Award nominations for their work. In 1994, Pitoniak received a second Tony nomination for her performance as Helen Potts in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Picnic
. She also appeared on Broadway in Agnes of God
, The Octette Bridge Club, Amy's View
, Uncle Vanya
, Dance of Death, and Imaginary Friends.
Pitoniak performed frequently at the Actors Theatre of Louisville
, in such plays as Norman's Getting Out, D.L. Coburn's The Gin Game
, and Jane Martin's Middle Aged White Guys. She also worked steadily in film and television, including the 1985 film version of Agnes of God
, where she appeared as the mother of Jane Fonda
's character.
Pitoniak died from cancer
at her home in Manhattan, New York aged 85.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She was nominated twice for Broadway's Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
: as Best Actress (Play) in 1983, for 'night, Mother
'night, Mother
'Night, Mother is a 1983 play by Marsha Norman about a daughter, Jessie, and her mother, Thelma . The play opens with Jessie calmly telling Mama that by morning she will be dead, as she plans to commit suicide that very evening...
, and as Best Actress (Featured Role - Play) in 1994, for a revival of William Inge
William Inge
William Motter Inge was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, he had a string of memorable Broadway productions, and one of these, Picnic, earned him a Pulitzer Prize...
's Picnic
Picnic (play)
Picnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February 1953 in a Theatre Guild production, directed by Joshua Logan, which ran for 477 performances....
.
Early life
Pitoniak was born in Westfield, MassachusettsWestfield, Massachusetts
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 41,094 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 01085 for homes and businesses, 01086 for Westfield State...
, the daughter of Sophie (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Porubovic) and John Pitoniak. She was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
. She spent two years as a civilian actress immediately after World War II, touring Japan, the Philippines and Korea for the Army's Special Services division. She met her future husband, Jerome Milord, then a soldier, when they were both in a U.S.O. show in Japan.
Career
In 'night, Mother'night, Mother
'Night, Mother is a 1983 play by Marsha Norman about a daughter, Jessie, and her mother, Thelma . The play opens with Jessie calmly telling Mama that by morning she will be dead, as she plans to commit suicide that very evening...
she played a woman who desperately tries to keep her daughter from killing herself. The play had its premiere at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then moved to Broadway. Both Pitoniak and co-star Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
received Best Actress Tony Award nominations for their work. In 1994, Pitoniak received a second Tony nomination for her performance as Helen Potts in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
. She also appeared on Broadway in Agnes of God
Agnes of God
Agnes of God is a play by John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the dead child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent clash during the resulting investigation...
, The Octette Bridge Club, Amy's View
Amy's View
Amy's View was written by British playwright David Hare, and originally premiered in London at the Royal National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre on June 13, 1997. It was directed by Richard Eyre and starred Judi Dench, Ronald Pickup and Samantha Bond in the title role. It was then performed on...
, Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
, Dance of Death, and Imaginary Friends.
Pitoniak performed frequently at the Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville is a performing arts theater located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1964 by Louisville native Ewel Cornett, local producer Richard Block and actor Ken Jenkins of Scrubs fame, and was designated the "State Theater of Kentucky" in 1974. It is run as a...
, in such plays as Norman's Getting Out, D.L. Coburn's The Gin Game
The Gin Game
The Gin Game is a two-person, two-act play by D.L. Coburn that premiered at American Theater Arts in Hollywood in September 1976, directed by Kip Niven. It was Coburn's first play, and the theater's first production.-Plot:...
, and Jane Martin's Middle Aged White Guys. She also worked steadily in film and television, including the 1985 film version of Agnes of God
Agnes of God
Agnes of God is a play by John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the dead child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent clash during the resulting investigation...
, where she appeared as the mother of Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
's character.
Pitoniak died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at her home in Manhattan, New York aged 85.