Josephine Hull
American stage and film actress, Academy Award winner for Harvey.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Josephine Hull (born Marie Josephine Sherwood; January 3, 1877 – March 12, 1957) was an American actress and stage director. She spent five decades on stage and brought several of her most famous roles to the big screen. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1950 film *Harvey*, a part she had first played on Broadway. Early in her career, she sometimes used the stage name Josephine Sherwood.
Hull was born in Newtonville, Massachusetts, one of four children of William H. Sherwood and Mary Elizabeth "Minnie" Tewkesbury. She later claimed to be younger than she actually was.
She made her stage debut in 1905. After working as a chorus girl and a touring stock player, she married actor Shelley Hull in 1910. When her husband died young, she retired from acting until 1923, returning under her married name, Josephine Hull. The couple had no children.
Her first major stage success came in 1926 in George Kelly’s Pulitzer-winning *Craig’s Wife*. Kelly then wrote a role specifically for her in his next play, *Daisy Mayme*, also staged in 1926. She worked steadily in New York theater through the 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s, she appeared in three Broadway hits: the batty matriarch in *You Can’t Take It with You* (1936), a homicidal old lady in *Arsenic and Old Lace* (1941), and *Harvey* (1944). All three had long runs, taking up ten years of her career. Her final Broadway show was *The Solid Gold Cadillac* (1954–55), later made into a film with the much younger Judy Holliday in the role.
Hull made only seven films. She began with a small part in the 1927 Clara Bow feature *Get Your Man*, followed by *The Bishop’s Candlesticks* in 1929. She then appeared in two 1932 Fox films, *After Tomorrow* (reprising her stage role) and *Careless Lady*. She missed the 1938 film version of *You Can’t Take It with You* because she was still performing it onstage; Spring Byington took the part instead. In the 1944 film *Arsenic and Old Lace*, starring Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane, she played Aunt Abby, one of the two Brewster sisters alongside Jean Adair. She then appeared in the 1950 film *Harvey*, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. *Variety* praised her performance, noting that “the slightly balmy aunt … is immense, socking the comedy for every bit of its worth.” After *Harvey*, she made only one more film, *The Lady from Texas* (1951).
- born
- January 3, 1877, Newtonville, Massachusetts
- died
- March 12, 1957, aged 80, from a cerebral hemorrhage
- field
- Stage and film actress, director of plays
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Harvey (1950); Broadway roles in You Can't Take It with You, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Harvey
Lore & Background
Hull made her stage debut in 1905, and after some years as a chorus girl and touring stock player, she married actor Shelley Hull in 1910. After her husband's death as a young man, she retired until 1923, when she returned to acting using her married name, Josephine Hull. The couple had no children. She had her first major stage success in George Kelly's Pulitzer-winning Craig's Wife in 1926. Kelly wrote a role especially for her in his next play, Daisy Mayme, also staged in 1926. She continued working in New York theater throughout the 1920s.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Hull appeared in three Broadway hits: as a batty matriarch in You Can't Take It with You (1936), as a homicidal old lady in Arsenic and Old Lace (1941), and in Harvey (1944). The plays all had long runs, taking up ten years of her career. Her last Broadway play, The Solid Gold Cadillac (1954–55), was later made into a film version with the much younger Judy Holliday in the role. Hull made only seven films, beginning in 1927 with a small part in Get Your Man, followed by The Bishop's Candlesticks in 1929. She missed recreating her You Can't Take It With You role in 1938 because she was still onstage with the show. She played Aunt Abby in the film version of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and appeared in the screen version of Harvey (1950), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Reader's Guide
Josephine Hull's significance lies in her long and successful stage career, which she extended into film with notable performances. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Harvey (1950), a role she originated on Broadway. Her work in three major Broadway hits—You Can't Take It with You, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Harvey—demonstrated her versatility in comedic and character roles. Hull's legacy is that of a dedicated stage actress who successfully transitioned to film later in life, earning critical acclaim. Her career spanned 50 years, and she is remembered for her distinctive portrayals of eccentric older women. The fact that she shaved years off her age and used a married name after her husband's death adds a layer of personal history to her professional achievements.
Did You Know?
- She was sometimes credited as Josephine Sherwood.
- She shaved years off her age during her career.
- She missed recreating her You Can't Take It With You role in the 1938 film because she was still performing the play on Broadway.
- Her last Broadway play, The Solid Gold Cadillac, was later made into a film with Judy Holliday, not Hull.
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