ONE of the final stars from Hollywood’s golden era has been interred in a Carmarthenshire town she frequented during her rise to fame, a local church minister has confirmed.
British actress Glynis Johns, best known for her portrayal of the suffragette mother Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins, passed away in Los Angeles in January at the age of 100.
In April, her ashes were brought to the Jerusalem Independent Chapel in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, to be laid to rest alongside those of her Welsh father, the actor Mervyn Johns.
A “lovely” and “solemn” ceremony preceded the burial, during which Send In The Clowns—a song composed specifically for Johns by the renowned Stephen Sondheim—was played, according to Chris Owen, the minister of the chapel.
Mr Owen disclosed that he was approached by Johns’ goddaughter in the United States, who sought to locate the burial site of the actress’s father.
“It was quite a surprise—I hadn’t realised she had any connection to Burry Port,” he remarked, noting that her will had specified her ashes be interred in the family grave.
“It’s really touching. I remember her films from my youth, back in the black and white days,” said Mr Owen, 72.
“While she may be less well-known today, she was quite a celebrated actress in her time.
“Her father had a stronger link to Burry Port, and I’ve been told she used to visit occasionally, to find some respite from the pressures of fame.”
Among those present at the ceremony was Rachael Nicholson, whose grandmother was a cousin of Johns.
“They were close in age and enjoyed spending time together—when she visited—taking dancing and ballet lessons in Pembrey,” Ms Nicholson recalled.
She described the service as “small”.
“Small, considering her stature as one of Hollywood’s greats, but it’s clear that this is where she felt her roots were, and she wanted to return to her family.”
Glynis Johns, a star of stage and screen, died in Los Angeles in January at the age of 100.
Born into a showbusiness family in October 1923 in South Africa, where her parents were performing, Johns was destined for the spotlight.
Her father, originally from Wales, toured with a drama company before returning to Britain, where he acted in several films following World War Two, including The Captive Heart and Scrooge. He passed away in 1992, aged 93.
Glynis Johns followed in her father’s footsteps, making her big screen debut in 1948 as the mermaid Miranda. Her performance in the comedy catapulted her to stardom in the UK.
She later earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1960 film The Sundowners, and starred alongside Dame Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney classic Mary Poppins, a film that went on to win five Oscars.
In 1973, she won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Desiree Armfeldt in Sondheim’s Broadway musical A Little Night Music, where she performed Send In The Clowns—a song she once described as “the greatest gift I’ve ever been given”.
